llLCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS BULLETIN
June 02/16
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
http://www.eliasbejjaninews.com/newsbulletin16/english.june02.16.htm
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Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2006
Bible Quotations For Today
Are you
discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, A little while, and you
will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 16/16-19:"‘A little while,
and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see
me.’Then some of his disciples said to one another, ‘What does he mean by saying
to us, "A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while,
and you will see me"; and "Because I am going to the Father"?’They said, ‘What
does he mean by this "a little while"? We do not know what he is talking
about.’Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, ‘Are you
discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, "A little while, and you
will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me"?"
And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day;
and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs
Acts of the Apostles 07/01-08:"Then the high priest asked him, ‘Are these things
so?’And Stephen replied: ‘Brothers and fathers, listen to me. The God of glory
appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in
Haran,and said to him, "Leave your country and your relatives and go to the land
that I will show you."Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in
Haran. After his father died, God had him move from there to this country in
which you are now living. He did not give him any of it as a heritage, not even
a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as his possession and to his
descendants after him, even though he had no child. And God spoke in these
terms, that his descendants would be resident aliens in a country belonging to
others, who would enslave them and maltreat them for four hundred years. "But I
will judge the nation that they serve," said God, "and after that they shall
come out and worship me in this place." Then he gave him the covenant of
circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on
the eighth day; and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve
patriarchs."
Pope Francis's Tweet For
Today
When disciples of Christ
are transparent in heart and sensitive in life, they bring the Lord’s light to
the places where they live and work.
Quando é transparente no coração e sensível na vida, o discípulo de Cristo leva
a luz do Senhor aos lugares onde vive e trabalha.
عندما تكون قلوب تلاميذ المسيح شفافة وحياتهم حساسة يجلبون نور الرب إلى الأماكن
التي يعيشون ويعملون فيها.
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources published on June 01-02/16
Geagea and Al Hariri both betrayed The cedars Revolution and The 14th Of March Patriotic Alliance/ Elias Bejjani/June 01/16
Iran,
Arabs and longing for the past/Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June01/16
Will enlightened Islam win/Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/June01/16
What’s new about Fallujah? Quite a lot actually/Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/June01/16
Why the real US election campaign is just starting/Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/June01/16
Turkey faces multiple dilemmas in Syria/Semih Idiz/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
Why confederation with Palestine is suddenly a hot issue in Amman/Osama Al
Sharif/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
Iran's 'marriage of convenience' with Taliban/Barbara Slavin/Al-Monitor/June
01/16
Is Iran about to cut Muqtada al-Sadr loose/Ali Omidi/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
Assessing the New AKP Cabinet/Soner Cagaptay and Cem Yolbulan/The Washington
Institute/June 01/16
Losing by Winning: The Rupture of the Israeli Center/David Makovsky and Dennis
Ross/The Washington Institute/June 01/16
Palestinians: Sex in Gaza City/Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/June 01/16
Bangladesh: All about Israel-Hating/by Sebastian Bustle/Gatestone Institute/June
01/16
Toronto: Muslim group gives out book saying “women may enjoy being beaten”/By
Robert Spencer /Jihad Watch/June 1, 2016
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published on
June 01-02/16
Geagea and Al Hariri both
betrayed The cedars Revolution and The 14th Of March Patriotic Alliance
Thursday's Cabinet Agenda to Tackle Thorny Files, Including Janna Dam
Report: Berri Pushes for Agreement on Electoral Law after Completion of
Municipal Polls
STL 'Awaiting Responses' from Lebanon on Badreddine's Fate
Student Hospitalized after Being 'Thrown down Stairs' by School Principal in
Tripoli
Grandi Says Naturalization of Refugees in Lebanon Unlikely
Geagea Decries 'Major War' on LF, FPM in Elections, Says Both Mustaqbal,
Hizbullah against Maarab Agreement
MPs Continue Discussions on Electoral Law as Alain Aoun Warns of 3rd Extension
of Parliament's Term
Sunni hawk wins Lebanon vote, risking new tensions
Lebanon police arrest lawyer over sex ring allegations
Lebanese, U.S., British meeting dwells on Army's ability to protect broders
Hakim: Lebanese economy maintains steadfastness despite presidential vacancy
Salam welcomes Stylianides, Bangladesh's Ambassador at Grand Serail
Interior Minister meets IPU delegation
Young man dies in Brital after being accidentally run over by tractor
Kabbara marking Rashid Karami's martyrdom: We need his political astuteness
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 01-02/16
Statement by Pentagon Press
Secretary Peter Cook on U.S. Airstrike in Somalia
Canada’s assisted suicide bill approved by House of Commons
Arab parliament tells Iran: ‘don’t politicize hajj’
US-backed forces launch anti-ISIS offensive in Syria
Syrian regime troops looting Palmyra: German expert
Syrian opposition proposes nationwide Ramadan truce
Syria's besieged Daraya gets its first aid since 2012, but no food
Iraq: concern for civilians slowing Fallujah operation
Afghan official: Taliban hit court in east Ghazni, killing six
Saudi Arabia sentences 14 ‘terrorists’ to death
Blast in Turkey’s southeast injures 12 security forces: sources
Yemen’s warring sides swap prisoners
Turkey: US rocket given to Kurdish group ended up with PKK
Shabaab claims deadly car bombing on Mogadishu hotel
UCLA campus on lockdown as police investigate shooting
Egypt denies one of its officials called Africans ‘dogs and slaves’
Pakistan teen burned alive for refusing marriage proposal
Signal likely from EgyptAir black boxes detected
Jordan king swears in new government
Iran Tells Saudi: 'We'll Leave Iraq when Iraq Asks'
Iranians rally in Sweden to denounce Javad Zarif’s presence
Bahrain charges 18 with contacting Iran regime’s IRGC and Hezbollah
Attorney General: Online social networks harm Iran regime
IRAN: Supervising engineers rally in Tehran outside municipality building
Iran: Retired workers hold protest, set up tents
Iran: call to revoke young man’s death sentence
Al-Qaida Claims Attack that Killed 4 in Mali's North
Links From Jihad Watch Site for
June 01-02/16
Jihad group attacks Mogadishu hotel, many casualties
Toronto: Muslim group gives out book saying “women may enjoy being beaten”
Canada: Muslim Conservative who decried party’s “Islamophobia” is really a
Liberal
Egypt: Muslims who stripped and paraded Christian woman were screaming “Allahu
akbar”
Jews fleeing Paris suburbs because of Islamic anti-Semitism
Irked Turks warn Germany over Armenian Genocide vote
SB jihadi’s friend tied to group that planned jihad mass murder in 2012
Bangladesh: Muslims plotted to bring down government for the Islamic State
UK: Muslim who went on stabbing rampage had photo of beheaded soldier
UK: Theresa May scrapped aerial border surveillance despite warnings
Vox
Clamantis In Deserto
Robert Spencer in FP: Twitter and Facebook Vow to Eliminate ‘Hate Speech’
Islamic Republic of Iran arrests eight people for producing music videos
Europol: Jihadis stockpiling explosives in Europe
Germany: Muslim migrants sexually assault 18 women at concert
Latest Lebanese Related News published on
June 01-02/16
Geagea and Al Hariri both
betrayed The cedars Revolution and The 14th Of March Patriotic Alliance
Elias Bejjani/ June 01/16
There is no logic, truth, self respect,
credibility or any common sense at all in the bizarre joy that Dr. Geagea’s
Lebanese Forces officials, media outlets and supporters are showing after
General Ashraf Refi’s great and stunning victory in Tripoli’s municipal
elections….
How actually the Lebanese Forces can be joyful about Refi’s victory and at the
same time bragging openly in criticizing and ridiculing Mr. Saad Al Hariri
because he joined forces with his and 14th of March enemies …the pro Iranian
Mullahs’ and Al Assad mercenary politicians and parties in Tripoli?
Sadly the Lebanese Forces Party, (which means only Dr.Geagea because he is the
sole decision maker) is suffering after the alliance with Aoun from a tunnel
vision sickening phenomenon. The Lebanese Forces vision as well as its political
views are clearly deviated and merely very selective..
The Lebanese Forces are tailoring their post municipal elections’ stances,
views, and propaganda to suit their sinful alliance with Lebanon’s number one
enemy, Michel Aoun.
By the way Dr. Geagea’s deadly sin that he committed against MP. Dory Chamoun
is shameful and a disastrous one and surely will never be forgotten…This sin
boldly exhibited his ingratitude for Al Chamoun and for their patriotic role,
history and patriotism.
Hariri did exactly what Geagea did …Hariri supported Suleiman Frangea for the
presidency post, and Geagea committed the same horrible mistake and supported
Micheal Aoun.. Both of them destroyed the political alliance of 14th of March
and proved to be impulsive, weak, unstable, selfish, and moody politicians.
One wonders what practically is the differences between Geagea’s alliance with
Micheal Aoun and AL Hariri’s alliance with Najieb Mikati? Both Alliances are
against every thing that is Lebanese and independence.
Logically Geagea should be sad and not happy at all that Al Hariri and his
billionaire alliances have lost in Tripoli because Ashraf Refi did what he did
not.
Ashraf Refi stood tall like the cedars against the Tripoli Lebanese Syrian and
Iranian Trojans while Geagea impulsively Joined forces with one of them, Micheal
Aoun and fought aggressively and stupidly with him patriotic 14th of March
prominent politicians and figures all over.
In conclusion, Geagea, sadly lost his credibility because of his alliance with
Micheal Aoun, and definitely will continue to lose more in case he does not
leave Aoun and re join again the 14th of March team.
Long Live Lebanon
Thursday's Cabinet Agenda to Tackle Thorny Files,
Including Janna Dam
Naharnet/June 01/16/The cabinet is scheduled to convene on Thursday to tackle
several issues, including the controversial issues of the Janna Valley dam and
the waste management file, al-Joumhouria daily reported on Wednesday. Sixty-one
items have been added to the cabinet's agenda, which still carries eight items
from its previous session. Several unnamed ministers expect the session to be a
heated one with the thorny file of the Janna dam on the agenda. Last week, the
cabinet avoided debate on plans to construct a dam in the Janna Valley in Nahr
Ibrahim, postponing the topic to its next session, as environmental activists
staged a rally outside the Grand Serail. The issue raised conflicting stances
among the ministers, with some voicing environmental concerns. The waste
management file will be handled, mainly after the closure of the Naameh landfill
that was reopened for a temporary period of two months to help the government
with a trash plan until it completes the establishment of landfills in Costa
Brava and Bourj Hammoud.
Report: Berri Pushes for Agreement on Electoral Law
after Completion of Municipal Polls
Naharnet/June 01/16/Speaker Nabih Berri said that time is not in favor of
stalling over reaching an agreement on a new electoral draft-law and pointed out
that the momentum witnessed during the municipal elections enhances the chances
of adopting a proportional electoral law, al-Joumhouria daily reported on
Wednesday. “Time is not in favor of a standstill with regard to the electoral
law. What happened during the municipal elections heightens the momentum towards
the adoption of a proportional law, particularly that the polls have shown that
no single party can monopolize a specific sect,” visitors to Berri quoted him as
saying. “Proportionality saves the country and keeps the fittest in order to
achieve just representation,” he added. The speaker emphasized the need to
benefit from the municipal elections, which raised family and religious
sentiments in order to push for staging the parliamentary ones. Municipal
elections were held during the month of May over a four-stage period. In an
interview to As Safir daily, Berri assured that the parliamentary elections are
inevitable and that there will be no term extension this time. Parliament has
extended its term twice, once in 2013 and another in 2014, due to officials'
failure to agree on a new electoral law. Its term ends in June 2017. In May,
Berri proposed a deal that calls for shortening the term of the current
parliament and staging the parliamentary polls and later the presidential ones.
The parliamentary elections would be held based on the proportionality electoral
law. Should the political powers fail to agree on this law, then the 1960 one
would be used. This law was adopted in the 2009 elections. The package deal also
calls for electing a new parliament speaker and bureau and forming a national
unity government. Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the
term of Michel Suleiman ended.
STL 'Awaiting Responses' from Lebanon on
Badreddine's Fate
Naharnet/June 01/16/The U.N.-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the
2005 assassination of ex-PM Rafik Hariri announced Tuesday that the in absentia
trial of five Hizbullah operatives will continue “pending the receipt of further
information from the government of Lebanon regarding the death of the Accused
Mustafa Amine Badreddine.”In an oral decision issued Tuesday, the STL Trial
Chamber said that “the Judges do not believe that sufficient evidence has yet
been presented to convince them that the death of Mr. Badreddine has been
proved.”The Trial Chamber also noted that “the Prosecution has outstanding
requests for assistance sent to the government of Lebanon seeking further
information relating to what happened to Mr. Badreddine and is awaiting
responses.”The three judges who constitute the Trial Chamber made the decision
by majority, with one dissenting opinion. Hizbullah has announced that
Badreddine was killed in Syria on May 11 when "artillery bombardment carried out
by takfiri groups" targeted one of its positions near the Damascus international
airport. It did not name any specific group, and there has been no claim of
responsibility. Badreddine was on a U.S. terror sanctions blacklist, was a key
suspect in Hariri's 2005 assassination and was one of the "most wanted" by
Israel. Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has announced that Badreddine
"was one of the first to join the resistance in its beginnings" to fight the
Israeli occupation after it was founded in 1982 with help from Iran's
Revolutionary Guard. After climbing up the ranks, Badreddine took on "main
military responsibilities" at Hizbullah between 1995 and 1999, according to
Nasrallah. "When Hizbullah decided to enter Syria, the commander was given the
responsibility to lead Hizbullah's military and security units in Syria," said
Nasrallah in a recent speech. Hizbullah's chief has dismissed the STL as a
conspiracy against his group, rejecting any cooperation with it and vowing that
the Hizbullah fugitives will never be found. Last month, resigned Justice
Minister Ashraf Rifi stressed that Lebanese authorities will cooperate with the
STL should it request DNA samples to confirm Badreddine's death. Rifi noted that
any STL request would be “referred to the public prosecutor's office, which
would task the relevant authorities with conducting necessary DNA tests or any
other measures that are aimed at unveiling the truth and fulfilling justice.”
Student Hospitalized after Being 'Thrown down Stairs' by School Principal in
Tripoli
Naharnet/June 01/16/A student was hospitalized on Wednesday after being beaten
by a school principal in the northern city of Tripoli, reported MTV. Mahmoud
Merhi, 15, was beaten by the principal and later thrown down the stairs by the
principal after he was involved in a fight with his son, said the victim's
friend, who was at the scene. Merhi, who is a student at Dar al-Zahra School,
was treated at the hospital for a ruptured spleen and various bruises. The
doctor at the hospital said that the victim will be monitored over the next 24
hours. The principal, Khaldoun al-Nashar, turned himself in to the Internal
Security Forces, reported MTV. Nashar's brother defended him, saying that he was
trying to pull the students apart from each other, causing Merhi to stumble and
fall down the stairs. The school administration later stood behind the brother's
statement, adding that the principal has however been sacked. Merhi's father
soon filed charges against Nashar over the incident, reported the National News
Agency.
Grandi Says Naturalization of Refugees in Lebanon
Unlikely
Naharnet/June 01/16/U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi ruled out
on Wednesday that the Syrian refugees and Palestinians will be resettled in
Lebanon, the state-run National News Agency said. Grandi's comments came after a
meeting he held with Labor Minister Sejaan Qazzi in Geneva where he is taking
part in the International Labor Conference. After the meeting Qazzi quoted
Grandi as saying: “The U.N. Commissioner ruled out a resettlement of Syrians and
Palestinians in Lebanon. They only want to return back to their
homeland.”However, Qazzi said that he explained to Grandi that “there is no
evidence of a possible return of Palestinians to their country and there are no
indicators on the near end of the war in Syria or the success of international
conferences on the Syrian crisis.”Qazzi expressed fears that “what frightens the
Lebanese is not just the resettlement of refugees, but their naturalization as a
fait accompli as the result of walls blocking any solution for the Syrians and
Palestinians.”Grandi plans to visit Lebanon in the future phase “when the
conditions allow introducing new plans to ease the burden of displaced Syrians
in Lebanon.”
Lebanon is hosting more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees who fled the turmoil in
their country.
Geagea Decries 'Major War' on LF, FPM in Elections, Says Both Mustaqbal,
Hizbullah against Maarab Agreement
Naharnet/June 01/16/Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced Wednesday that
the LF and the Free Patriotic Movement faced a “major war” from all parties in
the latest municipal polls, noting that both al-Mustaqbal movement and Hizbullah
are against the LF-FPM rapprochement. “Municipal polls have never reflected the
true political strength” of the political parties, Geagea said in an interview
on MTV. “We have never claimed to be a 'Christian tsunami' or that we represent
86% of Christians,” Geagea added, referring to the LF-FPM alliance. “There was
no confusion and it was our first attempt. A lot of technical mistakes happened
and we will draw lessons from them but all of this does not justify the
conclusions that were published in the media,” he said. Asked about allegations
that the LF and the FPM sought to “eliminate” local leaders in the elections in
certain towns, such as Qoubaiyat, Tannourine and Deir al-Qamar, Geagea noted
that “all the electoral battles were imposed” on the two parties. “We did not
seek a battle but we don't accept that anyone be under attack only because they
belong to us. How did (Mustaqbal bloc MP Hadi) Hbeish become allied with (ex-MP
Mikhail) al-Daher despite the sharp rift between them?” the LF leader added,
referring to the Qoubaiyat battle. “The LF and the FPM are the biggest Christian
forces and no other party or figure has the same representation among
Christians,” he stressed. “Are we supposed to dissolve the LF department in Deir
al-Qamar because (LF deputy chief) George Adwan failed to reach an agreement
with (National Liberal Party chief MP) Dory Chamoun? We have the right to run in
any electoral battle,” Geagea emphasized. “Are they trying to say that any
citizen has the right to run in the elections in Qoubaiyat and Tannourine except
for the members of the LF and the FPM?” he added. Turning to LF-FPM
rapprochement, Geagea pointed out that “the Maarab agreement was based on
specific points.”“Until now the FPM is still allied with Hizbullah and we are
still allied with al-Mustaqbal,” he said. But he added that “all parties are
waging a major war against the Maarab agreement and even al-Mustaqbal movement
is against the Maarab agreement.”“Hizbullah is also against the Maarab agreement
and days ago (Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh) Naim Qassem said that his party is
committed to its allies, not to 'the allies of its allies',” Geagea went on to
say.
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid “Jumblat is also against the Maarab
agreement but he is smarter than them and we agreed with him in all towns in
Upper Metn, Chouf and Aley and we had no problems,” the LF chief said.
Commenting on the strained relation with al-Mustaqbal, Geagea reminded that
“after the North's elections, Future TV started its news bulletin by saying that
the municipal polls had crowned (Telecom Minister Butros) Harb as a king over
Tannourine.”“Sixty percent of voters in Tannourine are members of the Harb
family and yet we managed to grab 40% of the vote,” Geagea added, referring to
the LF-FPM alliance.
MPs Continue Discussions on Electoral Law as Alain Aoun Warns of 3rd Extension
of Parliament's Term
Naharnet/June 01/16/The joint parliamentary committees continued on Wednesday
their discussions on the electoral draft-laws, with lawmakers describing the
talks as “the most serious to date.”The talks mainly focused on the hybrid and
proportional representation draft-laws. Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Ali
Fayyad reiterated his rejection of the 1960 electoral law and the possibility of
extending parliament's term for a third time. “The worst thing we can do is hold
the elections based on the 1960 law,” he told reporters at parliament. Change
and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun revealed that some lawmakers at the joint
parliamentary committees have started discussing the possibility of extending
parliament's term for a third time. He said that the recent municipal poll
results are serving as a motivation for the extension. The Change and Reform
bloc had twice refrained from voting in favor of the extension of parliament's
term.
The extension took place the first time in 2013 and a second time in 2014. They
were prompted by the political powers' failure to agree on a new electoral law.
The move sparked outrage in Lebanon. Speaker Nabih Berri had launched an
initiative recently aimed at ending the impasse. He called for shortening the
term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should
political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one. He also called for
staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a
national unity government. The joint parliamentary committees are set to meet
again on Tuesday, announced deputy Speaker Farid Makari. He revealed that
lawmakers at the talks delved for the first time into the details of the
distribution of MPs and electoral districts. Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan
said after the meeting: “The Lebanese people yearn for change and the rotation
of power, which has been lacking in the wake of the extension of the term of
parliament.”“Staging the elections based on the 1960 law is an indirect form of
the extension of the term of parliament.”“The adoption of this law is tantamount
to the extension of corruption. We are therefore faced with either adopting a
new electoral law or prolonging the current crisis.”“Given this reality, we are
seeking to achieve change through the joint parliamentary committees or through
the parliament bureau. These options will put everything out in the open. We can
no longer continue with this current situation,” he declared.
Mustaqbal MP Ahmed Fatfat told reporters: “Our stance has not changed regarding
the electoral law. The 1960 law is behind us and we seek the adoption of the
hybrid law. “We will continue to reject the electoral law based on
proportionality as long as illegitimate arms remain spread throughout the
country,” he said in reference to Hizbullah's weapons arsenal.Alain Aoun later
called for popular pressure to force lawmakers to seek political change.“This
action should take place now, not a month before the parliamentary polls.”
Sunni hawk wins Lebanon vote,
risking new tensions
Reuters | Beirut Wednesday, 1 June 2016/A hawkish Lebanese Sunni politician has
won local elections in the second largest city of Tripoli in a result that marks
a blow to long-established Sunni leaders and risks reviving tensions among rival
sectarian groups there.The municipal elections underway nationwide for a month
have been seen as an important indicator of sentiment in Lebanon, where a
political crisis has twice forced the postponement of parliamentary elections
that should have been held in 2013. A list backed by emerging Sunni politician
Ashraf Rifi won a majority of seats on the council elected in Tripoli on Sunday,
defeating an alliance backed by Sunni leaders including former prime ministers
Saad al-Hariri and Najib Mikati. Preliminary results indicated that none of the
24 seats on the council were won by members of the Christian or Alawite
communities which were both represented in the outgoing council. One analyst
described the result as a sign of growing hardline sentiment in the mostly Sunni
city that is a historic bastion of Sunni Islamist groups. Rifi is a former
police chief who resigned as justice minister this year in protest at what he
described as the dominant role occupied by Hezbollah, a heavily armed Shi’ite
group backed by Iran. Analysts say he was seeking to stake out a position as an
uncompromising Sunni rival to Hariri by quitting the government. Rifi, who comes
from Tripoli, has heaped criticism on Hariri, son of the late statesman Rafik
al-Hariri, for nominating a Hezbollah ally to fill the vacant presidency.
Speaking at a televised news conference on Monday, Rifi said Hariri’s decision
to back Maronite politician Suleiman Franjieh for that post had been
unacceptable to his constituents in northern Lebanon.
Rifi said his Sunni rivals had failed to grasp a shifting mood in the region as
Sunni power Saudi Arabia takes a tougher position against Shi’ite Iran. They had
also failed to grasp the weakness of the Syrian government, he said.
Both Tehran and Damascus are allies of Hezbollah. “Nobody knew that the Sunni
mood in Lebanon would no longer accept surrender or complacency. It wants its
right as citizens,” Rifi told Reuters. He also called for coexistence in the
city, adding that his list included Christian and Alawite candidates who had not
appeared to win though the counting was not over. The turnout appeared low, with
initial indications of just over a fifth of voters taking part, according to
activists working with the campaigns. Estimates for the number of seats won by
Rifi’s list ranged from 16 to 22. Tripoli has been a focal point of instability
linked to the Syria conflict since it began in 2011. Sunni Islamists waged an
armed insurrection with the army in Tripoli in 2014, and fighting has also
erupted in the city between members of the Sunni and Alawite communities. The
last major violence was a suicide bomb attack in January, 2015. Nabil Boumonsef,
a political commentator with An-Nahar newspaper, said: “It is certain that
Ashraf Rifi won under the slogan of extremism. The interesting thing is that a
democratic process has resulted in the new slogan of extremism in Tripoli.” He
said the absence of any Christians or Alawites on the council would be “very
negative”. Writing on Twitter, Hariri called for cooperation for the sake of
Tripoli. “We confirm respect for the democratic will of the people of Tripoli
who have picked their new municipal council,” he said.
Lebanon police arrest lawyer
over sex ring allegations
AFP | Beirut Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Lebanese police have arrested a prominent
lawyer after he accused government officials of possible complicity in a sex
trafficking ring broken up in March, Human Rights Watch said. Police detained
Nabeel Al Halabi in a dawn raid on his home on Sunday after Interior Minister
Nuhad Mashnouq and a senior adviser filed separate suits for libel and slander
of a public official, both criminal rather than civil offences in Lebanon. HRW
called for Al Halabi’s immediate release, criticising both the manner of his
arrest and the jail sentence of up to one year he faces if found guilty. The
lawyer’s comments on Facebook came after Lebanese authorities broke up the
largest known sex trafficking network to date in late March, freeing at least 75
Syrian women who were being held captive. In one message he asked: “Who is
protecting the human trafficking ring in Lebanon?” and then alluded to Mashnouq
without naming him. In others, he said the interior ministry needs to “clean”
itself up. Al Halabi is by no means the only person to allege official
complicity in sex trafficking in Lebanon, which human rights groups say has
soared as a result of the influx of desperate refugees from the five-year civil
war in neighbouring Syria. Veteran Druze politician Waleed Junblatt has accused
“high-level officials in the moral police” of being “complicit” in the
trafficking. But Al Halabi is the only one so far against whom criminal
complaints have been announced. The lawyer has been a controversial figure since
last year, when his involvement in negotiations for the release of Lebanese
soldiers and troops held by Al Qaida and Daesh drew accusations he was too close
to the militants. Last month, the lawyers’ syndicate stripped him of the
immunity from prosecution he was afforded as a syndicate member. “Al Halabi’s
arrest for criticising Lebanese officials and the intimidating way it was
carried out sets a dangerous precedent,” HRW’s deputy regional director Nadim
Houry said in a statement late on Tuesday. “The interior ministry may not like
what Al Halabi wrote, but that didn’t give them the right to storm into his
house and lock him up. “Laws that allow imprisonment in response to criticism of
individuals or state officials are incompatible with Lebanon’s international
obligations to protect freedom of expression.”
Berri in Wednesday Gathering:
Better to return to discuss law of proportionality
Wed 01 Jun 2016/NNA - House Speaker, Nabih Berri, said, "Amidst the ongoing
standstill in discussing the mixed law of parliamentary elections, it's better
to go back to discuss the law draft of Najib Mikati-led government that adopted
a law draft based on proportionality and dividing Lebanon into 13 electoral
lists, knowing that our original stance was taking Lebanon as one zone or taking
big zones on the basis of the proportionality system."Berri's stance came in the
context of Wednesday's Parliamentary Gathering.Berri said that the municipal
elections confirmed the need to adopt an electoral law based on proportionality
"which ensures more fair representation for all constituents."
Lebanese, U.S., British
meeting dwells on Army's ability to protect broders
Wed 01 Jun 2016 /NNA - Army Commander, General Jean Qahwaji received on
Wednesday in Yarzi, the Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of the United States,
Richard Jones and British Ambassador, Hugo Shorter, with whom he discussed
military relations.General Qahwaji then chaired a meeting of the higher
committee for supervision of US and British aid program for the protection of
land border, in the presence of ambassadors Jones and Shorter, as well as the
joint work team. General Qahwaji thanked "the American and British authorities
for their support to the LAF," assuring that "this support could enhance combat
readiness." The American and British sides discussed aid to the military
institution and the assistance planned for the next step. The ambassadors
praised the competence of the Lebanese Army and its achievements in terms of
protecting the Lebanese border from terrorist groups. They also stressed that
"their countries will continue to supports the army and enable it to preserve
stability." General Qahwaji, in his turn, stressed that "the gradually
intensified measures taken by the army at the borderline has reduced the
infiltration and the activities of terrorists.""Our soldiers have proven
strength in their battles against enemies. They lack equipment and weapons
however," he concluded.
Hakim: Lebanese economy
maintains steadfastness despite presidential vacancy
Wed 01 Jun 2016/NNA - Minister of Economy and Trade, Alain Hakim, visited on
Wednesday, the Economy, Industry and Digital Economy French Minister, Emmanuel
Macron, at the Ministry at Bercy. Discussions tackled the current economic
situation in Lebanon, confirming that the Lebanese economy has maintained
steadfastness despite presidential vacuum. Hakim said that the Lebanese economy
succeeded in maintaining a good status despite the power void that has lasted
for two years and despite the burden which the Syrian movement to Lebanon
imposed on the economy, the security and the labor market. The Minister also
discussed with his French counterpart the importance of small and medium
companies' sector as well as the means of cooperation that can be adopted with
France in both digital technology and banking fields. "The banking sector is a
fundamental sector in Lebanon, since it is a cornerstone of the economy," said
Hakim, adding that economic growth requires the development of long-term
economic plans to ensure stability and continuity. Hakim then invited Macron to
visit Lebanon and to form a committee for cooperation between the two
departments. As for presidential elections, the minister called on France to
help the Lebanese to elect a new president, recalling France's positive
historical role towards Lebanon and the region.
Salam welcomes Stylianides,
Bangladesh's Ambassador at Grand Serail
Wed 01 Jun 2016/NNA - Prime Minister Tammam Salam, welcomed on Wednesday at the
Grand Serail the European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis
Management, Christos Stylianides, accompanied by the ambassador of the European
Union to Lebanon, Christina Lassen. Separately, Salam welcomed Bangladesh's
Ambassador to Lebanon, Abdel Mottaleb Sarkar, with discussions reportedly
featuring high on bilateral relations. The Premier also met with the deputies of
the West Bekaa --Jamal Jarrah, Amine Wehneh, Antoine Saad and Ziad Al-Kadiri
--accompanied with a delegation of milk manufacturers. Talks tackled the
problems of farmers resulting from the importation of large quantities of dairy
products.
Interior Minister meets IPU
delegation
Wed 01 Jun 2016/NNA - Interior and Municipalities Minister, Nouhad Mashnouk, met
on Wednesday with an EU delegation representing the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU),
with talks reportedly focused on the status of Syrian and Palestinian refugees
in Lebanon. In the wake of the meeting, delegation head Monica Green, pledged to
push the International community to provide further aid and assistance to
Lebanon, in its capacity as a hosting country, and to all the refugees in
Lebanon. "We shall return back to Parliament and forward a report on this issue
to be discussed," Green added.
Young man dies in Brital
after being accidentally run over by tractor
Wed 01 Jun 2016/NNA - A
young man, Assad Jaafar, tragically met his fate in Brital on Wednesday after
being run over by a tractor, NNA field reporter said, adding that the tractor
was driven by a man from Hammieh family.
Kabbara marking Rashid
Karami's martyrdom: We need his political astuteness
Wed 01 Jun 2016/NNA - Member of Parliament, Mohammad Kabbara, said on Wednesday
that Lebanon was in dire need of political perspicacity, similar to that of late
martyr, Rashid Karami. Marking Karami's 29th martyrdom anniversary, Kabbara
added, "Lebanon has missed Karami's relentless efforts seeking the best national
interests, as well as civil peace in all Lebanese regions.""Now that we are
remembering late martyr Rashid Karami, we assure that he shall remain an
integral part of Tripoli's existence. People shall never forget that he was a
statesman par excellence."
Latest LCCC Bulletin For Miscellaneous Reports And News published on June 01-02/16
Statement by Pentagon Press
Secretary Peter Cook on U.S. Airstrike in Somalia
Wed 01 Jun 2016 /NNA - U.S. forces carried out an airstrike in south-central
Somalia targeting Abdullahi Haji Da'ud, a senior military commander for al-Shabaab.
Da'ud was one of al-Shabaab's most senior military planners and served as a
principal coordinator of al-Shabaab's militia attacks in Somalia, Kenya, and
Uganda. He held several positions of authority within the terrorist organization
over the years, including head of the Amniyat, al-Shabaab's Security and
Intelligence Branch. Da'ud has been responsible for the loss of many innocent
lives through attacks he has planned and carried out. We are confident that the
removal from the terrorist network of this experienced al-Shabaab commander with
extensive operational experience will disrupt near-term attack planning,
potentially saving many innocent lives. We are currently assessing the results
of the operation and will provide additional information as and when
appropriate. U.S. forces remain committed to supporting the Federal Government
of Somalia, the Somali National Army, and our African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)
partners in defeating al-Shabaab and establishing a safe and secure environment
in Somalia.
Canada’s assisted suicide bill approved by House of Commons
The Associated Press,
Ottawa, Ontario Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Canada’s House of Commons has passed the
government’s proposed assisted suicide law.The House of Commons voted 186-137.
The law still requires Senate approval. The Supreme Court last year struck down
laws that bar doctors from helping someone die, but put the ruling on hold while
the government came up with a new law. Despite pressure to speed the approval,
Conservative Senate leader Claude Carignan says there’s no way the bill will be
passed by Monday — the day the ban on assisted suicide ends. He says the bill
will not be put to a final vote until the end of next week at the earliest.
Canada’s Senate is unelected and largely rubber stamps legislation passed by the
elected House of Commons. Some amendments could occur.
Arab parliament tells Iran:
‘don’t politicize hajj’
Saudi Gazette, Cairo Wednesday, 1 June 2016/The parliament set up by the Arab
League said on Tuesday that hajj should not be politicized and exploited to
target Saudi Arabia. In a statement at the end of its final session, it said
that the sanctity of the Two Holy Mosques and holy sites must be maintained.
Hajj should only be meant for rituals and worshipping, the Arab parliament said.
Saudi Arabia said the Iranians had demanded the right to hold demonstrations
during hajj. “Iran demanded the right to organize demonstrations and to have
privileges that would cause chaos during hajj. This is unacceptable,” said Saudi
Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir during a joint press conference with his
visiting British counterpart Philip Hammond in Jeddah. “Iran’s intention from
the start was to maneuver and find excuses in order to prevent its citizens from
performing hajj,” Al-Jubeir said. “They are now answerable to Allah.”Arab
Parliament Speaker Ahmed Al-Jarwan stressed in a statement that Hezbollah is a
terrorist party, adding that the Arab League, many international conventions and
the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, took a similar tone, due to its
negative interventions in many countries of the region. The Arab parliament
warned Iran against open intervention in the affairs of the Arab countries,
instigation of sectarian strife, threat to the coherence of Arab entity. This
article was first published by the Saudi Gazette on June 1, 2016.
US-backed forces launch
anti-ISIS offensive in Syria
By Agencies Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Kurdish-led Syrian fighters have launched a
new advance on the northern town of Manbij, a key ISIS stronghold, with the aid
of US-led airstrikes, the Associated Press reported a spokesman for the fighters
and a monitoring group as saying on Wednesday. Meanwhile, US officials told
Reuters that there were thousands of US-backed fighters in Syria, who are
launching an offensive to capture Manbij following weeks of quiet preparations.
The operation, which only just started to get underway on Tuesday and could take
weeks to complete, aims to choke off ISIS’s access to Syrian territory along the
Turkish border that militants have long used as a logistics base for moving
foreign fighters back and forth to Europe. “It’s significant in that it’s their
last remaining funnel” to Europe, a US military official said. A small number of
US special operations forces will support the offensive on the ground, acting as
advisors and staying some distance back from the front lines, the officials
said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military planning.“They’ll
be as close as they need to be for the (Syrian fighters) to complete the
operation. But they will not engage in direct combat,” the official said.
The operation will also count on support from US-led coalition air strikes as
well as from ground-based firing positions across the border in Turkey. Perhaps
essential for NATO ally Turkey, the operation will be overwhelmingly comprised
of Syrian Arabs instead of forces with the Kurdish YPG militia, who will only
represent about a fifth or a sixth of the overall force, the officials said.
Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish YPG fighters to be terrorists and has been
enraged by US backing for the militia in its battle with ISIS in Syria. A US
fighter, who is fighting alongside with Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), carries
his national flag as he stands with SDF fighters in northern province of Raqqa,
Syria May 27, Turkey has been alarmed by advances by Kurdish forces along
its border and opposed the idea of YPG fighters taking control of the Manbij
pocket. The Kurdish YPG militia already controls an uninterrupted 400 km (250
mile) stretch the border. The officials told Reuters, however, the YPG will only
fight to help clear ISIS from the area around Manbij. Syrian Arab fighters would
be the ones to stabilize and secure it once ISIS is gone, according to the
operational plans.“After they take Manbij, the agreement is the YPG will not be
staying ... So you’ll have Syrian Arabs occupying traditional Syrian Arab land,”
the official said, adding Turkey supported the offensive.
Turkey not contributing
Meanwhile, a Turkish military source said on Wednesday that Turkey is not
contributing to the US-backed operation against ISIS in Syria which includes
Kurdish fighters near Manbij. Turkey’s state-run news agency says coalition
airstrikes and Turkish artillery fire against ISIS in Syria killed 14 militants.
The operation comes ahead of an eventual push by the US-backed Syrian forces
toward the city of Raqqa, the ISIS’s defacto capital in Syria and the prime
objective in Syria for US military planners. The US military official said
depriving ISIS of the Manbij pocket would help further isolate the militants and
further undermine their ability to funnel supplies to Raqqa.US President Barack
Obama has authorized about 300 US special operations forces to operate on the
ground from secret locations inside Syria to help coordinate with local forces
to battle ISIS there.
Temporary ceasefire
As Syrian rebels fight ISIS, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that
a temporary ceasefire, which it called a “regime of calm,” had taken effect from
June 1 for 48 hours in the Damascus suburb of Daraya to allow for the
distribution of humanitarian aid to civilians. Syria’s government has been
refusing UN efforts to send aid into Daraya and several other areas besieged by
forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, despite what the United Nations calls
a “horrendously critical” food situation. Daraya, close to a large air base and
only a few kilometers (miles) from Assad’s palace, has been besieged and
regularly bombed since 2012. In a short statement, the ministry said it had
coordinated the “regime of calm” with the Syrian authorities and with the United
States “to secure safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the population. It took
effect from midnight,” it said. The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) of
countries backing the peace process, which includes Russia, had set a June 1
deadline for aid to get in by road. Otherwise the United Nations was ready to
organize air drops of aid. “We’ve been told the regime will allow access to
Daraya and possibly Mouadimiya,” said a senior Western diplomat. “Let’s see if
it happens as it's no coincidence this came out the day before June 1 when air
drops were supposed to have started. This tactic is not new.’Staffan de Mistura,
the U.N. mediator of Syria peace talks, has said improved humanitarian access
was one of the things he wanted to see before announcing a date for a new round
of talks. But with no let-up in the fighting, he said on May 26 that no talks
would be feasible over the next two or three weeks.Diplomats say opposition
negotiators also need to be able to point to some improvement in the
humanitarian situation or the cessation of hostilities before they can come back
to the negotiating table.
Syrian regime troops looting
Palmyra: German expert
AFP | Berlin Wednesday, 1 June 2016/A leading German cultural heritage expert on
Wednesday charged that Syrian regime troops are looting the ancient city of
Palmyra like the ISIS militants who controlled it until March. Archaeologist
Hermann Parzinger, head of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, was
speaking on the eve of a two-day Berlin conference on ways to protect heritage
sites in war-ravaged Syria. Speaking to media, Parzinger said that Syrian
troops, when they are off-duty, “are conducting illegal excavations” and “have
looted” at the UNESCO World Heritage site. Syrian troops backed by Russian air
strikes and special forces recaptured Palmyra from the ISIS group in March,
delivering a major propaganda coup for both Damascus and Moscow. ISIS militants
had staged mass executions in the Roman amphitheatre, blown up ancient temples
and looted relics in the one-time trade hub in central Syria, a major tourist
site before the war. Despite the liberation, “we shouldn’t act like everything
is alright now,” said Parzinger, the former head of the German Archaeological
Institute. He said retaking Palmyra was “an important victory for culture,”
writing earlier in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily. “But this victory
has not made Assad and his backers the saviours of cultural heritage,” he added.
“Assad’s soldiers too plundered the ruins of Palmyra before the IS takeover, and
their rockets and grenades indiscriminately pounded the antique columns and
walls when this promised even the slightest military advantage.”From Thursday,
the German government and UNESCO will host over 170 scientists, archaeologists,
architects and planners to discuss how to preserve Syria’s heritage despite the
five-year-old war that has killed more than 270,000 people. UNESCO chief Irina
Bokova, writing in the Tagesspiegel daily, wrote that “two-thirds of the old
town of Aleppo have been bombed and burned” and at other sites, gangs have
looted on an “industrial scale”. “Archaeological sites are in the crossfire ...
and being misused as military bases,” she wrote, while “Palmyra, which had long
been insufficiently protected, has experienced indescribable horror and
destruction” under IS control.
Syrian opposition proposes
nationwide Ramadan truce
Reuters, Geneva Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Syria’s main opposition has proposed a
nationwide Ramadan truce, opposition delegate Basma Kodmani said on Wednesday.
“The letter to (UN Secretary-General) Ban Ki-moon suggests a truce, we know
there should be one, full respect of the truce across the country, nationwide,
for the full month of Ramadan,” she said. “Ramadan being next week, that would
start creating the right conditions, the right atmosphere, for us to return to
(peace talks in) Geneva. This is the intention of the HNC.”
Syria's besieged Daraya gets
its first aid since 2012, but no food
Reuters | Geneva Wednesday, 1 June 2016/The besieged Syrian town of Daraya, a
rebel-held suburb of Damascus where President Bashar al-Assad has refused to
allow aid to starving Syrians, got its first U.N. aid convoy since 2012 on
Wednesday. Russia’s Defence Ministry said a temporary ceasefire, which it called
a “regime of calm”, had taken effect from June 1 for 48 hours in the Damascus
suburb to allow for the distribution of humanitarian aid to civilians. In a
short statement, the ministry said it had coordinated the “regime of calm” with
the Syrian authorities and with the United States “to secure delivery of
humanitarian aid to the population”. It took effect from midnight, the ministry
said. Syrian opposition negotiator Basma Kodmani said the aid to Daraya and
nearby Mouadamiya, another besieged zone, was only a first step that had come
about as a result of extreme international pressure on the Syrian government,
and substantial change was still needed. “The first lesson is that pressure and
ultimatums are the only way we get the regime to hear anything,” she said. “We
will obviously not be content with one convoy as happened today.” The trucks got
through on the day when the Syrian government faced a deadline to admit aid by
road or risk having air drops imposed by the countries of the International
Syria Support Group (ISSG), which includes Syria’s ally Russia. “If we don’t see
substantial change, then we definitely are waiting for those air drops to happen
as a sign of the seriousness and the commitment of the international community,”
Kodmani said. The aid to Daraya contained medical supplies, vaccines, baby milk
and nutrition items, but no food. A U.N. spokeswoman said it was hoped that food
would follow in subsequent convoys. The United Nations has previously warned
that children could die of starvation because of the “horrendously critical”
situation in Daraya, Mouadamiya, and a third area, al Waer, which did not
receive any aid on Wednesday. The U.N. estimates 4,000 civilians are still in
Daraya, which is close to a large air base and has been besieged and regularly
bombed since 2012.Last month, a U.N. convoy was turned away at the gates of
Daraya because soldiers refused to let baby milk into the town, the U.N. said.
Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. mediator of Syria peace talks, has said he wants to
see improved humanitarian access, as well as a renewed lull in the fighting,
before announcing a date for a new round of peace talks in Geneva. The ISSG
humanitarian taskforce will meet on Thursday to review progress on getting aid
to more than a million people in besieged and hard-to-reach areas. Kodmani said
they should not be fooled by the Syrian government allowing in one convoy “to
defuse the pressure”. “If it is going to become tit-for-tat, a convoy for a
date, this is not going to work,” she said. A return to peace talks, after a
last round which ended on April 28 amid a spiral of violence, was likely if the
international community kept up the pressure on Assad’s government, she said.
The opposition High Negotiations Committee has proposed a nationwide truce
during the month of Ramadan, which would restore the “cessation of hostilities”
that prevailed for two months from the end of February.
Iraq: concern for civilians
slowing Fallujah operation
Agencies Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Concern for the plight of tens of thousands of
civilians trapped inside Fallujah is slowing the operation to retake the Iraqi
city from militants, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said Wednesday. “It would’ve
been possible to end the battle quickly if protecting civilians wasn’t one of
the foundations of our plan,” Abadi told commanders outside Fallujah in comments
broadcast by state television. Elite forces from the counter-terrorism service
backed by police, army and paramilitary groups on Monday launched a new phase of
the operation to retake Fallujah. But they have so far failed to breach the
center of Fallujah, with commanders arguing that ISIS was offering fierce
resistance. Abadi’s comments suggest however that the pace of the operation was
intentionally slowed in order to spare civilians whom the UN says are being used
as human shields by ISIS. There are an estimated 50,000 civilians trapped inside
the city, which lies only 50 kilometers (30 miles) west of Baghdad and is one of
only two major urban hubs controlled by ISIS in Iraq. Humanitarian
organizations, the Iraqi government itself and the country’s most respected
Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, have all appealed for the plight
of civilians to be given the utmost care. The United Nations warned on Wednesday
that thousands of children are facing extreme violence in Fallujah. At least
20,000 children remain inside the ISIS’ stronghold near Baghdad and face the
risk of forced recruitment into fighting and separation from their families, the
United Nations’ children’s agency UNICEF said. The World Food Program, in a
separate statement, said the humanitarian situation was worsening as family food
stocks were running down, pushing up prices to a level few can afford. “We are
concerned over the protection of children in the face of extreme violence,”
UNICEF Representative in Iraq Peter Hawkins said in a statement. “Children face
the risk of forced recruitment into the fighting” inside the besieged city, and
“separation from their families” if they manage to leave, he added. Backed by
Shiite militias and air strikes from the US-led coalition, the Iraqi armed
forces launched an offensive on May 23 to recapture the city, 50 kms (32 miles)
west of Baghdad. The assault on Fallujah, the first Iraqi city to fall under
control of the ultra-hardline Sunni militants in January 2014, is expected to be
one of the biggest battles fought against ISIS. (Reuters and AFP)
Afghan official: Taliban hit
court in east Ghazni, killing six
The Associated Press, Kabul, Afghanistan Wednesday, 1 June 2016/An Afghan
official says Taliban gunmen have attacked a court building in eastern Ghazni
province, killing at least one policeman. Jawed Salangi, spokesman for the
provincial governor, says a suicide bomber launched the coordinated attack by
blowing himself up at the court’s entrance, after which three other attackers
stormed the building on Wednesday. He says two of the attackers were killed by
security forces while the third is believed to remain inside the building.
Salangi says police are also attempting to defuse an explosives-packed vehicle
parked near the courthouse. The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the
attack. The insurgents have increasingly targeted Afghan judicial workers since
the government executes six convicted Taliban members last month. The Taliban
have waged war on Kabul since the 2001 US-led invasion toppled their regime.
Saudi Arabia sentences 14
‘terrorists’ to death
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Saudi Arabia on
Wednesday sentenced 14 convicted terrorists to death and jailed nine others in
Qatif. Several attacks by ISIS since 2014 have targeted Qatif, in eastern Saudi
Arabia, and other areas.
Blast in Turkey’s southeast
injures 12 security forces: sources
Reuters, Diyarbakir Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Twelve security force members were
injured on Wednesday when a handmade bomb exploded in Turkey’s southeastern town
of Nusaybin during an army operation, security sources said. Turkey’s
predominantly Kurdish southeast has been engulfed in the worst violence in two
decades after a ceasefire between the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the
state collapsed last year.
Yemen’s warring sides swap
prisoners
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Yemen’s warring sides on
Wednesday swapped prisoners, with 19 Houthi militia men exchanged for 16
fighters from the pro-government Popular Resistance fighters, sources told Al
Hadath, Al Arabiya News Channel’s sister channel. The prisoner swap took place
after Yemeni government officials and rebels agreed on Tuesday to free half of
the prisoners and detainees held by both sides within 20 days. The deal, seen as
the first breakthrough in peace talks which began in Kuwait on April 21, came
during a meeting of the joint working group on prisoners and detainees formed by
UN special envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed. There has been mounting international
pressure to end the Yemen conflict that the United Nations estimates has killed
more than 6,400 people and displaced 2.8 million since March last year.
Turkey: US rocket given to
Kurdish group ended up with PKK
The Associated Press, Ankara Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Turkey says that US-backed
Kurdish militia in Syria are providing arms to Kurdish rebels fighting Ankara,
citing as evidence a joint US- and Swedish-made anti-tank rocket reportedly
seized from the rebels.Turkey considers the Kurdish People’s Protection Units,
or YPG, an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, and views
it as a terrorist organization. The Syrian Kurdish force, however, is a US ally
in the fight against the ISIS group. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said
Wednesday that the rocket seized during anti-PKK operations near the Syrian
border showed that the YPG was transferring US-provided arms to the PKK.
Pentagon spokesman Chris Sherwood said the weapons aren’t meant for the PKK, and
the US doesn’t know that any of the arms have gone to the group.
Shabaab claims deadly car
bombing on Mogadishu hotel
AFP, Mogadishu Wednesday, 1
June 2016/Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab on Wednesday launched a deadly
attack on a top Mogadishu hotel popular with MPs, setting off a car bomb and
fighting security forces inside the complex, the jihadists and security sources
said. “The attack was started with a heavy explosion and members from the
Mujahedeen fighters stormed the building,” the Shabaab said in a statement. The
explosion at the Ambassador Hotel on a busy road in the heart of the city was
followed by a “complex attack,” a security source told AFP. “A VBIED
(vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) exploded at the Ambassador Hotel,
Makkah Almukarramah street,” the source said. “According to latest information
received there was a follow-up complex attack and the hotel was penetrated and
an ongoing fire fight is in progress,” the security source added. Somali
security official Abdirasak Ahmed said there was “one civilian casualty” but
witnesses said many people had died. “I was a few meters away from the hotel
when the blast occurred. It was very heavy one and it destroyed the whole area.
I saw the dead bodies of seven people most of them burned,” Mohamed Elmi said.
Another witness, Ibrahim Sheikh Nur, added: “I saw several dead bodies outside
the hotel but we don't know how many people are inside and the casualties there.
The security forces are now inside and the whole area is cordoned off.”Shabaab
fighters were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but the group remains a dangerous
threat in both Somalia and neighboring Kenya, where it carries out frequent
attacks. They jihadists are fighting to overthrow the country's
internationally-backed government. On Wednesday, the United States said a top
Shabaab military leader Abdullahi Haji Da’ud was "presumed killed" during a May
27 air strike.
UCLA campus on lockdown as
police investigate shooting
AFP, Los Angeles Wednesday, 1 June 2016/The University of California’s Los
Angeles campus was placed on lockdown on Wednesday as police investigated a
possible active shooter and reports of two victims. “We have no confirmation yet
of victims but we received a call with two possible victims, that’s all we have
right now,” Jenny Houser, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles police department
told AFP. She added that the sprawling campus was placed on lockdown as police
searched university buildings.
Egypt denies one of its
officials called Africans ‘dogs and slaves’
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Egypt’s foreign ministry
has denied that one of its officials referred to Sub-Saharan Africans in a
recent UN meeting as “dogs and slaves.”Last week, a Kenyan diplomat accused an
unnamed Egyptian official of making the comments by during a United Nations
Environment Assembly meeting in Nairobi. The diplomat, Yvonne Khamati, said in a
memo that Egypt should be banned from representing Africa in any official
capacity due to the remarks. Khamati said that the Egyptian official had used
the epithet during talks between Egypt and other African delegations over a
failed UN resolution on the Palestinian Gaza Strip. The unnamed Egyptian
official “spoke to his delegation in Arabic in the presence of African delegates
that speak [and] understand Arabic,” Khamati said on Twitter. On Tuesday,
Egypt's foreign ministry issued a statement quoted by local daily al-Ahram that
it “denies completely that such statements came from Egyptian representatives
during the African group meeting.” “It is unacceptable to generalize and present
weak accusations to the Egyptian state and the Egyptian people doubting their
belonging to Africa,” the statement added. The allegations from Khamati went
viral on social media in Egypt earlier this week.
Pakistan teen burned alive
for refusing marriage proposal
AFP, Islamabad Wednesday, 1 June 2016/A young Pakistani woman died on Wednesday
after she was tortured and set alight in the country’s conservative northeast
for refusing a marriage proposal from the son of a former colleague, relatives
and police said. Maria Sadaqat, 19, was attacked by a group of people on Monday
in the village of Upper Dewal close to the summer hill resort of Murree, outside
the capital Islamabad. “She was badly tortured and then burned alive. We brought
her to hospital in Islamabad but she succumbed to her wounds today,” Abdul Basit,
Sadaqat’s uncle, said outside a burns centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical
Sciences in the capital. Grieving relatives outside the center wept and
protested at the teenager’s death as police moved her body to another hospital
for a post-mortem. Basit said his niece had been attacked by the principal of
the private school where she had formerly worked as a teacher, and by his
accomplices after she refused a marriage proposal from his son. “He was divorced
and twice her age, so she refused the proposal and left her job when they
pursued her time and again... eventually they attacked her,” Basit said. Police
said Sadaqat gave a statement before her death naming the principal and four
others as her attackers. “We have arrested at least one of the accused and a
hunt is on for the rest,” Mazhar Iqbal, the officer directing the murder
investigation, told AFP. A doctor at the hospital said Sadaqat had succumbed to
serious burns. “The poor woman was becoming better but then could not survive
because most parts of her body had serious burn injuries,” said Ayesha Ihsani.
It was the second time in just over a month that a Pakistani woman had been
murdered over a marriage issue. A woman believed to be aged between 16-18 was
drugged, strangled and her body burnt on the orders of a village jirga (council)
in northwest Pakistan on April 29, allegedly for helping a friend to elope with
her lover. Hundreds of women are murdered by their relatives in Pakistan each
year on the pretext of defending what is seen as family honor.
Signal likely from EgyptAir black boxes detected
Reuters, Cairo Wednesday, 1 June 2016/A French naval search vessel has picked up
signals believed to originate from one of the black boxes of EgyptAir flight
MS804 which crashed into the Mediterranean last month, the Egyptian
investigation committee said on Wednesday. It said in a statement the search for
the black boxes was intensifying ahead of the expected arrival within a week of
another vessel, the John Lethbridge, from Mauritius-based company Deep Ocean
Search to help retrieve the devices. “Search equipment aboard French naval
vessel Laplace... has detected signals from the seabed of the search area, which
likely belong to one of the data boxes,” the committee said. Investigators are
searching in some of the deepest waters of the Mediterranean for flight
recorders from the Airbus A320 which crashed on May 19, killing 66 people. The
jet’s flight recorders or “black boxes” are designed to emit acoustic signals
for 30 days after a crash, giving search teams fewer than three weeks to spot
them in waters up to 9,840-feet (3,000-meters) deep, which is on the edge of
their range.
Jordan king swears in new
government
Reuters, Amman Wednesday, 1 June 2016/Jordanian King Abdullah swore in a new
government led by a business-friendly politician on Wednesday and charged him
with preparing for parliamentary elections by September and pushing legislation
to spur sluggish growth. Hani Mulki, 64, who has held a string of senior
diplomatic and ministerial posts, is a former chief commissioner of Jordan’s
economic zone in the Red Sea port city of Aqaba. He was appointed by the king on
Sunday to replace Abdullah Ensour shortly after the monarch dissolved parliament
as it neared the end of its four-year term. Elections must be held within four
months under the constitution. Official sources said the government is expected
to maintain traditional support for US policies in the region and continue with
IMF-guided reforms.They say the monarch chose Mulki to help spur investment,
especially from main Gulf oil producer Saudi Arabia, which has shown interest in
investing in the debt-laden kingdom. Jordan’s finances have been hit by a drop
in Gulf aid which traditionally tops up its coffers and worsened investor
confidence hit by regional uncertainty. The economy has also been strained by a
flood of refugees from the five-year-old civil war in neighboring Syria.
Iran Tells Saudi: 'We'll Leave Iraq
when Iraq Asks'
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June
01/16/Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday that Tehran had no intention of
leaving Iraq and criticized "arrogant" Saudi Arabia for accusing it of stoking
sectarian violence. "We will leave Iraq whenever Iraq asks us to. And we will
help Iraq to confront terrorism, as long as Iraq wants us to," Mohammad Javad
Zarif said at a press conference in Stockholm during a European tour to attract
investors. On Sunday, Saudi Arabia accused Iran of sowing "sedition and
division" in Iraq and sending in Shiite militias, and urged Tehran to "stop
intervening" in the affairs of its neighbors.
But Zarif, whose Shiite-dominated country is an arch rival of Saudi Arabia,
bristled at the remarks by the Sunni-led kingdom's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.
"It's an absurd statement, it's an arrogant statement. Nobody should arrogate
themselves to talk on behalf of other countries," he said in English.
Tehran and Riyadh, a traditional ally of Washington, are at odds over a raft of
regional issues, notably the conflicts in Syria and Yemen in which they support
opposing sides. Iran has advisers on the ground in Iraq and also in Syria to
help the military in both countries battle armed groups fighting the national
governments. Saudi Arabia is also taking part in a U.S.-led coalition targeting
the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Without mentioning names, Zarif
warned countries which consider groups such as IS and the al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra
Front as "leverages that can be used for political gains.""That's the worst
miscalculation anybody has made in our region," he said. "I believe the sooner
Saudi Arabia comes to understand that ISIS is first and foremost a threat
against them, then, anybody else, the sooner we are able to confront this total
menace for all of us, not only in the region but in the world," Zarif added,
using another acronym for the Islamic State group.
Iranians rally in Sweden to denounce
Javad Zarif’s presence
Wednesday, 01 June/16 /National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI - Supporters
of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the People's Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (PMOI or MEK) held a rally on Wednesday outside the Swedish
Parliament in Stockholm condemning the presence of the Iranian regime's foreign
minister Javad Zarif. The supporters of the NCRI and PMOI (MEK) called on the
government of Sweden to precondition any improvement of political or economic
relations with the mullahs’ regime to an improvement in human rights in Iran and
in particular a halt to executions. According to the UN special rapporteur on
human rights situation in Iran and Amnesty International, the mullahs’ regime in
2015 executed close to 1000 people, the highest level in the past quarter
century. Iran is the world record holder in executions per capita. The Iranian
regime has deployed some 70,000 of its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), regular army
and foreign mercenaries to Syria to keep dictator Bashar al-Assad in power.
Without Tehran’s support, Assad would have long been overthrown and the
situation in this war-ravaged country would have been entirely different. The
mullahs’ regime has said that Assad’s overthrow is a “red line” and it views it
as a strategic terminal blow to its own survival. The Iranian protesters
reiterated that Zarif must be held accountable for the regime’s crimes and
export of terrorism and extremism.
Bahrain charges 18 with
contacting Iran regime’s IRGC and Hezbollah
Wednesday, 01 June/016 /National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI - Bahrain
has charged 18 people with contacting the Iranian regime's Islamic Revolutionary
Guards Corps (IRGC) and the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist group with the aim of
stirring up unrest in the kingdom, the state news agency BNA reported on
Wednesday. BNA said the prosecution had established after the investigation that
the group had formed a "secret cell" to incite Bahrainis against the ruling
system and to propagate information calling for changing the government by
force. It said the group had contacted leaders of the IRGC and the Lebanese
Hezbollah group to "obtain financial and logistical support" in exchange for
regular reports on the political, economic and social situation in the kingdom.
"It had been established that the money that had been received had been used to
support those held in jail in relation to terrorism cases and terrorist groups
to encourage them to carry out more terrorist acts," the report said.The agency
said 10 of the suspects were in custody while eight would go on trial this month
in absentia. On May 29 it was announced that an appeals court in Bahrain upheld
life prison sentences against five men convicted of spying for Iran's regime. A
statement by the prosecution said the court rejected the appeal by the five
defendants. The men were convicted in November of "spying for and seeking with
Iran and its agents to carry out hostile acts against the kingdom."They were
found guilty of working with the IRGC to carry out attacks in Bahrain against
"public and financial institutions."Two of them had received training in Iran on
"the manufacture and use of explosives and firearms in preparation for carrying
out these hostile attacks," according to the charges. In February Bahrain
adopted measures to counter the Iranian regime’s “interference” in the kingdom.
“We have taken a series of measures to confront the dangers of terrorism,”
Bahrain’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid al-Khalifa said at the time. The
measures included monitoring money transfers and donations to combat the
“financing of terrorism” and imposing travel restrictions on citizens.
Sheikh Rashid also said authorities will also take measures to “protect
religious discourse against religious and political extremism as well as
incitement.”Bahrain has repeatedly accused the Iranian regime of meddling in its
internal affairs. Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iran in October 2015 after
it said security forces discovered a bomb-making factory and arrested a number
of suspects linked to the IRGC. Bahrain cut diplomatic relations with Iran's
regime in January, one day after Saudi Arabia severed ties with the mullahs’
regime following attacks by demonstrators on the Saudi diplomatic missions in
Tehran and Mashhad. Based in part on wire reports
Attorney General: Online
social networks harm Iran regime
Wednesday, 01 June/2016/National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI - The
Iranian regime’s Attorney General has expressed concern about the impact of
online social networks, warning that the intention behind these networks is to
harm the regime. Mohammad-Jafar Montazeri, the mullahs’ infamous Attorney
General, in a meeting on Sunday, May 29, with members of the state media
expressed concern about the spread of social networks. "Unfortunately, the
current situation is caused by activities of immoral people who are also the
enemy of humanity. These people have set goals and plan to harm the Islamic
Republic of Iran," Montazeri said. His remarks were carried by the website of
the official state broadcaster IRIB. He added: "Unfortunately, the cyberspace is
so poisoned and infected. We are constantly monitoring it, and each week we have
to tackle hundreds and perhaps even thousands of centers of corruption." "There
is much to talk about regarding cyberspace. The Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei] in
his recent remarks was critical of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace and the
Ministry of Communications. Fortunately, his warnings were made public and are
bearing fruit. Yesterday in a meeting with the Supreme Council of Cyberspace,
some suggestions were made in order to sort out and organize the social systems
and we hope the changes will be implemented soon."Laying the groundwork for a
further clampdown on social networking sites, the mullahs’ Attorney General
added: "As the Attorney General’s Office is the head of the committee
responsible for clarifying what constitutes criminal activity, we will hold
fortnightly meetings with relevant bodies on this matter."A day earlier, Iran's
fundamentalist regime set a one-year deadline for international social media, in
particular Telegram, to hand over data on their Iranian users. The decision was
taken on Saturday at a session of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, a committee
on the use of cyberspace headed by the mullahs' President Hassan Rouhani that
serves as the regime's IT regulator. The Mehr news agency, affiliated to the
regime's notorious Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS), reported on
Sunday: "At a meeting of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, chaired by President
Hassan Rouhani, it was decided that all foreign social media active in the
country must within one year transfer to Iran all the data they hold [on Iranian
citizens]."In a separate report, Mehr said that Telegram, an instant messaging
app with more than 20 million users in Iran, would have to provide all its data
on Iranian users if it wants to continue to operate in Iran. "Based on a
directive approved last night at the Supreme Council of Cyberspace, foreign
social media active in the country must transfer to Iran all the data they hold
on Iranian citizens in order be able to continue their operations. Therefore
Telegram must hand over to Iran its data on Iranian users," it said. The report
added that more than 80 percent of the world's Telegram users are based in Iran.
The official state news agency IRNA said the committee had also decided to work
to develop homegrown social media to compete with foreign networks. Authorities
in Iran, where Facebook and Twitter are officially banned although users can
gain access with easily available software, have for years tried to impose curbs
on Iranians using social media.
IRAN: Supervising engineers
rally in Tehran outside municipality building
Wednesday, 01 June/16/National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI - On Monday,
May 30, a group of supervising engineers rallied in front of office of the
regime’s Department of Urban Planning and Architecture of Tehran Municipality
and protested against the regime’s methods of appointing projects for
engineers.They demanded amendments in project works and the abolition of the
municipality’s agreement with the Tehran Construction Engineering Organization (TCEO).
One of the protesters said: "We want the abolition of job assignments to
supervising engineers until new adjustments are set in the contracts. The
protesters demanded that the job assignments must be implemented according to
the previous code exerted in the second half of 2012. According to the code, the
legal corporate had the right to choose based on the capacity and competency
criteria."
Iran: Retired workers hold
protest, set up tents
Wednesday, 01 June/16/National Council of Resistance of Iran/NCRI - More than
400 retired workers of the Iran Telecommunication Industries (ITI) in Shiraz,
southern Iran, continued on Monday, May 30, a week-long protest and set up tents
in the courtyard of the factory, demanding receipt of their unpaid wages.
One of the retired workers said: “Since last Tuesday (May 24), we set up our
tents in the courtyard of that factory and asked the governorate labor
department officials to hold a meeting with us regarding the demands of the
retired workers but not only did they not come; they also pressured us in
various ways to remove the tents, so we gathered here last night.”On May 28, the
state-run ILNA news agency reported that some 1300 retired workers of the ITI,
who have been made redundant gradually since 2006, have not received their
deferred wages and severance benefits. So, some of these retired workers have
set up tents inside the courtyard of the factory in protest to receive their
unpaid wages and benefits. Retired workers said that the employer claims that
lack of financial resources is the reason for failing to fulfill their legal
obligations regarding the outstanding and unpaid wages, but the workers are
tired of this situation and have vowed to continue their gatherings until their
demands are met.
Iran: call to revoke young
man’s death sentence
Wednesday, 01 June 2016/National Council of Resistance of Iran/At least 73
prisoners executed in May
The Iranian Resistance is calling for the cancellation of a death sentence
issued for Mohammad Reza Haddadi, aged 15 at the time of his alleged crime, and
requests from all human rights organizations, especially the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Human Rights Council, UN Special
Rapporteur on Arbitrary Executions and UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in
Iran to take urgent action aimed at forcing the cancellation of this criminal
execution. Haddadi has been held in Adel Abad Prison of Shiraz, central Iran,
for the past 13 years. Moreover, three prisoners in the cities of Shiraz, Kavar
(located 51 kilometers south of Shiraz) and Nour (in Mazandaran Province,
northern Iran) were hanged through the span of May 28th to the 30th. Two inmates
were also hanged on May 31st in Noshahr Prison (northern Iran). Therefore, the
number of executions in Iran reached 73 in the month of May. Executions, lashing
and torture, especially against the youth, reflect the increasing fear sensed by
the fascist regime ruling Iran regarding an imminent eruption of anger and
social protests. These developments reveal that the mask of moderation used by
the criminals ruling Iran is nothing but a deceptive plot. Secretariat of the
National Council of Resistance of Iran/May 31, 2016
Al-Qaida Claims Attack that Killed 4
in Mali's North
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/June 01/16/Al-Qaida's North African branch has
claimed attacks in northern Mali that killed a Chinese U.N. peacekeeper and
three civilians, the U.S.-based monitoring group SITE said Wednesday. The
attacks on Tuesday come days after five U.N. peacekeepers were killed in an
ambush in central Mali, as concern grows over the future of the U.N.'s deadliest
active mission. "Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) reported that its al-Murabitoun
battalion engaged in a clash with 'Crusader occupation forces'," referring to
the U.N. mission in Mali, SITE said, adding that the jihadists called it an
"epic battle". AQIM said in a statement its fighters were "thrashing" the enemy.
Al-Murabitoun, led by one-eyed Algerian militant Mokhtar Belmokhtar, has claimed
responsibility for several spectacular and bloody attacks in sub-Saharan Africa.
One attack on a U.N. camp in the northern town of Gao on Tuesday killed a
peacekeeper and seriously wounded three others, while a second armed attack on a
U.N. de-mining unit killed two security guards and an international expert, the
U.N. mission known by the acronym MINUSMA said. At least 65 peacekeepers with
the mission have been killed while on active service, while another four have
died in "friendly fire" incidents, U.N. figures show.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published on
June 01-02/16
Iran, Arabs and longing for
the past
Abdulrahman al-Rashed/Al Arabiya/June01/16
Iranians and Arabs long for the peace, reconciliation and unity of the 1960s and
1970s, which they have lost due to political developments. Things changed
following Iran’s revolution, when extremists seized power. Cairo, Tehran,
Riyadh, Kuwait, Beirut and other Middle Eastern capitals were very different
than they are today, as people seemed more civilized and streets seemed safer.
When those born after that period compare their cities then and now, they find
it difficult to believe so much has changed. When was Tehran happier, in the
early 1970s or in the 21st century? Cairo looks worn out today, but was a city
of joy and creativity during the times of presidents Gamal Abdel Nasser and
Anwar Sadat. This generation’s aspirations are not that different from what
their parents enjoyed. They are simple ambitions. How ironic that the future
they hope for is the past.
Chinese example
Tehran, Cairo, Riyadh and other cities suffer from religious extremism. Our
region is not the first to go through this. China suffered from communist
extremism, which was falsely called “the cultural revolution.”This generation’s
aspirations are not that different from what their parents enjoyed. They are
simple ambitions. How ironic that the future they hope for is the past. In 1966,
communists led by Mao Zedong led an “awakening,” not against the enemies of
communism but against their own communist comrades, whom they considered less
committed than they were.
The Communist Party exploited youths to impose extremist ideas on society,
pursued parents and teachers, collected books and burnt them, and destroyed many
of China’s cultural symbols and historical monuments. Their cars roamed the
streets and propagated Zedong’s slogans, calling on people to pursue those who
do not abide by his teachings. Chinese public opinion later voiced its rejection
of what happened, as seen by the correctional movement that tried the leaders of
the awakening and held them accountable. After that China changed, as did the
people’s ideas, and their relations with one another and the world. People want
to live happily - this does not mean they are less religious, and it does not
compromise traditions. There will come a day when someone from within the
Iranian regime itself will lead a movement that takes them back to the era of
the 1960s and 1970s, and gets rid of religious extremism. The same will happen
in the Arab world. This article was first published in Asharq al-Awsat on June
1, 2016.
Between ISIS & Iran’s militias, US gives up on the State of Iraq
Joyce Karam/Al Arabiya/June01/16
When US President Barack Obama promised in 2011 that American forces are
“leaving behind a sovereign, stable and self-reliant Iraq” he couldn’t be more
far off from the reality that emerged today. Five years into the withdrawal,
Iraq’s sovereignty, stability, and self-reliance are a distant memory, as
terrorist groups and militias dictate the rules of the game and the map of the
battles from Baghdad to Karkouk. The scene from the Iraqi city of Fallujah
undergoing now its third “liberation” battle from ISIS, says it all. Along with
the Iraqi forces, it is Iranian funded and organized paramilitary groups with
direct help and presence of Tehran’s “shadow commander” Qassem Suleimani leading
the fight for Fallujah, and under air cover from the US and coalition forces.
US picks its poison
Washington’s air cover to US designated terrorist Qassem Suleimani, as he takes
on another designated terrorist organization ISIS, perfectly sums up the
American dilemma and tragedy in Iraq. The US priority in the country it invaded
and occupied in 2003 is solely defined today by fighting ISIS while overlooking
the tactics and the means to do so. Two years after ISIS ransacked Mosul from
the Iraqi forces in June of 2014, Washington appears to have lost faith in the
Iraqi military and in the political prowess of the government in Baghdad to rule
over the country. Washington’s air cover to US designated terrorist Qassem
Suleimani, as he takes on another designated terrorist organization ISIS,
perfectly sums up the American dilemma and tragedy in Iraq
Instead, the US along with the regional and coalition countries involved in Iraq
are coming to terms with Iran and not Baghdad calling the shots, and that their
paramilitaries are the lesser of two evils in conducting policy in the old
Mesopotamia. Whatever plans the US had after 2014 to build a “National Guard”
force of mainly local tribal forces to fight ISIS in the Sunni areas it
controls, they have crumbled in the face of Iranian opposition and its veto
power in Iraqi politics. The Iranian strategy has had the last word, as Tehran
formed, trained and equipped an almost 100,000 Shia-majority militia known as
“the popular mobilization forces” to fight ISIS in Iraq’s Sunni heartland.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider Abadi is left with no choice but to follow Iran’s
lead as his government coalition and Baghdad’s own security depends on
accommodating Tehran’s men and securing the capital. Iran’s paramilitary group
has so far been critical in dictating the roadmap for the fight in Tikrit,
Ramadi and now Fallujah, scoring military victories while at the same time
exacerbating sectarian divisions with reports of looting, displacement of locals
followed the takeover from ISIS.
Shortsighted strategy
Outsourcing the fight against ISIS to Iranian funded and trained militias is
nothing short of a recipe for disaster in Iraq. It shows that the US is once
again prioritizing the political timeline to defeat ISIS in as many cities as
possible before Obama leaves office in January, while ignoring the dire
consequences these tactics would leave Iraq with in the medium and long term.
Investing in Iraq’s sovereignty and building an inclusive power structure has
taken the back seat to the immediate goal of fighting ISIS. For the US the
lesson of the fall of Mosul in 2014 is that it can’t rely on the Iraqi military
that fled the city and gave in to ISIS. While this was a valid conclusion from
the fall of Iraq’s second largest city, it cannot set the pace for the current
strategy. Relying on Iranian militias to fight ISIS is counterproductive and
feeds the sectarian narrative that led to the rise of the notorious group in the
first place.
Arabic hashtags such as “Fallujah stands up to Iran” or “Fallujah under
aggression” show more resentment at Iranian proxies entering Fallujah than
rejecting ISIS. It is the Sunni disenfranchisement in post-Saddam Iraq that
prompted the rise of ISIS, and it is the gift that keeps on giving for the
terrorist group. Militarily, and unless a political roadmap that grants the
Sunnis and other minorities a fair share in the Iraqi power structure, ISIS can
lose ground but will not be defeated. The group was declared dead after the US
withdrawal in 2011 and managed to resurface and build on Baghdad’s political
failures among the Sunni tribes. By overlooking Iran’s military expansion in
Iraq and letting go of its own plans to train and equip a National Guard force,
the US is effectively giving up on the State of Iraq in the long term. A weak
and fractured central government in Baghdad that is dependent on Iran is an
acceptable outcome for Washington. This is a recipe for failure given that
Iran’s proxy militias from Lebanon to Syria to Iraq are there to stay and grow
at the expense of the central state. Washington has adjusted to this status quo
as long as it serves the nearsighted short term goal of fighting ISIS. In 2003,
the Bush administration invaded Iraq promising a “path to freedom and
democracy.” Today, Iraq’s path is to paramilitaries and sectarian warfare, as
the US minimizes its footprint and accepts shortsighted strategies in the name
of counterterrorism and defeating ISIS.
Will enlightened Islam win?
Turki Al-Dakhil/Al Arabiya/June01/16
As the US presidential race intensifies, speeches related to Muslims are
increasing and refugees continue to flee to Europe, where right-wing movements
speak up against hosting them. Experts have begun to talk more about tolerant
Islam and violent Islam. Almost every thinker has an opinion about terrorism,
immigration and identity. These have become the common subjects of different
academies and media. The technological revolution and social media have made it
easier to access information, and to form an image about Islam and Muslims.
Unfortunately, the loudest, most extreme voice has always been most able to
attract attention.
London mayor
Electing Sadiq Khan as mayor of London was significant. He is a British citizen
with a British identity and mentality, even though he is a Muslim of Pakistani
origin. European institutions are able to integrate people - those who integrate
well, of course - and this was the case with Khan. Prominent French philosopher
and academic Bernard-Henri Levy described Khan’s election as a “clear victory”
of enlightened Islam against fanatical Islam. “What we’re witnessing now with
the election of Khan is not a defeat of democracy but a victory of enlightened
Islam, which is capable of comprehending civil values. Therefore, British
democracy must be proud, not just because it welcomed Islam, but because it
helped it adapt.”We cannot view European Islam the way we view Islam in places
with poorer quality of life and less understanding of the concept of the state,
law and institutions
Researchers describe European Islam as a social fabric. Islam, its
interpretation, tools and rhetoric in Europe are very different than in Raqqa,
Kabul, Islamabad and Kandahar. There is an environment that embraces and changes
concepts. Civil, media and educational institutions also influence
interpretations and understanding of these concepts. We cannot view European
Islam the way we view Islam in places with poorer quality of life and less
understanding of the concept of the state, law and institutions. Enlightened
Islam was expressed via the election of a British Muslim who is open-minded,
educated and well-integrated. In Europe, which hosts millions of Muslims, there
is no escape from supporting enlightened Islam, which produced Khan and similar
figures. German sociologist and philosopher Jurgen Habermas said of the issue of
Muslims in his country: “There’s a common basis on which integration must
happen, and that must be the constitution. These principles must be discussed
during an expanded and democratic debate. I think this discussion will be
launched again in our [country]. “We must expect every person we host to commit
to our laws and learn our language. When it comes to at least the second
generation [of refugees], we expect that their understanding and adoption of the
principles of our political culture has become solid.”
This article was first published in Al Bayan on June 1, 2016.
What’s new about Fallujah?
Quite a lot actually
Dr. Theodore Karasik/Al Arabiya/June01/16
The ongoing “Iraqi” push into Fallujah to oust Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
(ISIS) is the focus of many observers. The city on the Euphrates is a strategic
prize in the current tug and pull for Iraq’s Sunni geographical core. After all,
invaders of the city before met brutal deaths and hung from a bridge over the
river. It’s no dreamland. ISIS’s governance of Fallujah is the longest of any
Iraqi cities and the fight will be bloody and violent. Iraqi security forces,
augmented by the Shiite umbrella Hashd al-Shaabi (including Iran-backed Kata’ib
Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, plus dozens of Iranian Al-Quds Advisors), are
pounding away on Fallujah in three directions with support of US air strikes. In
itself, the Iraqi-Sunni-Shiite contingents with US support is a real test of
what is possible in Iraq’s fragmented political arena. It should be noted that
this is not the first time that the US “aided” Kata’ib Hezbollah. In September
2014, US air forces gave air cover to Peshmerga fighters and Kata’ib Hezbollah
to oust ISIS from Amerli. That “winning” formula is front and center again.
Apart from the day-to-day slog of the Iraqi operations with the support of
airstrikes from Operation Inherent Resolve, there are a few other matters that
deserve highlighting for policymakers and observers. How Abadi and Al-Sadr play
out their drama will certainly have an impact in Baghdad
The Green Zone
First, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi is using the Fallujah operation to
win favor with his military and key politicians. His untypically front and
center public activity and comments in this effort are for good reason: Baghdad
is in the balance. Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s ability to rally support –
twice now entering the Green Zone – obviously is a direct threat to Abadi and
others politicos. Abadi’s plea to al-Sadr from the command center for the
Fallujah operation was remarkable: He called on al-Sadr’s reform protesters to
halt what is now their weekly Green Zone mobbing “as our security forces are
preoccupied with liberating Fallujah and nearby areas.” Abadi also stated that
Iraqis “…need to be vigilant and cautious as they (ISIS) will try to carry out
crimes and massacres against civilians.”The Iraqi prime minister is referring to
the almost daily rising death toll from suicide bombings in and around Baghdad.
Of course, Fallujah is the major center for bomb making and suicide bombers by
ISIS in the Iraqi capital according to a Jordanian official. Second, the
Fallujah refugee flow is beginning in earnest. Tens of thousands are moving
their way out of the city before it is likely flattened given ISIS’s resolve. As
I argued in my previous piece, those fleeing Fallujah are going to need more
than just help and screening will become necessary. Already, this flow is
starting to occur. In the refugee flow, men and older boys are taken to special
security screening locations by Iraqi forces. Women and children are provided
for apparently. There is a worry that all of these survivors are brainwashed by
ISIS. According to one source, an Iraqi federal police officer said that “they
are brainwashed by now. They should be placed in a special camp.” And that is
exactly what is happening: Screening, commonly also called “filtration” is a war
time method that is both important to prevent combatants, terrorists or
insurgents from slipping outside of an urban fight or area, but also religiously
and politically explosive in the screening centers themselves. It may be that in
this atmosphere, Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged security forces and
militia to restrain themselves and abide by “the standard behaviors of jihad.”
Religion and tribe may very well come into play in this specific Internally
Displaced Person (IDP) flow. Third, and probably most important, is Saudi
Arabia’s view of the Fallujah events. Fallujah, and Anbar itself, are very
important to the country. Under King Salman, the Kingdom is sending tons of aid
for distribution in Anbar province and specifically to Fallujah when possible.
Iran's presence
But Iran’s presence will not be tolerated by the Kingdom. Not only did Saudi
Foreign Minister al-Jubeir demand that Iran leave Iraq and to remove Iranian
forces from all Arab lands. The Saudi Foreign Minister asserted “Sending Iranian
Shiite armed units to Iraq or their training there is unacceptable both on
invitation [of the Iraqi authorities] and without it.” Indeed, the Kingdom is
serious about Iran’s current behavior in Iraq. A more careful look reveals that
Saudi-Iraqi military ties are set to improve to offset Iran’s ground presence
exemplified by the Fallujah force mix. Just days ago, Iraqi Defense Minister
Khaled al-Obaidi briefed Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Iraq Thamer Al-Sabhan on
the Fallujah operation. Al-Sabhan tweeted that “(we) discussed bilateral
relations between the two countries as well as the Kingdom’s keenness to enhance
military cooperation with Iraq to serve the needs of both people.” These words
are a strong signal that the Kingdom will work with the Iraqi military to build
on Sunni and tribal ties. Clearly, the spoils of Fallujah is at stake for what
comes next in Iraq. How Abadi and Al-Sadr play out their drama will certainly
have an impact in Baghdad. The key as usual is Iran who certainly will not
budge. With Saudi Arabia activating a military-to-military outreach a new marker
is now apparent. Riyadh is now positioning itself to challenge Iran for the Day
After Fallujah. This struggle well be repeated in other forthcoming campaigns
including Mosul and Raqqa.
Why the real US election campaign is just starting
Yossi Mekelberg/Al Arabiya/June01/16
The good news is that the American presidential primaries are almost settled,
the bad news is that this was only the prelude to the main Hillary
Clinton-Donald Trump presidential race show. For the next five months we will be
subjected to one of the most venomous election campaigns in US history. Thanks
to the Republican nominee Donald Trump, this race for the White House is
promising to become a circus that threatens to appeal to the lowest common
denominator. Last week Trump acquired the necessary majority of delegates to win
the GOP presidential nomination and Clinton is about to reach a similar
milestone in the Democratic Party very soon. Therefore, it seems an appropriate
time to reflect on one of the most incredible, improbable and challenging of US
primaries. History will look at the 2016 primaries as one of the most
significant in the US post Second World history. First and foremost it
represents a strong anti-establishment sentiment, an almost unabated resentment,
against the political, economic and social elites. Not unrelated and equally
important is the widening of the ideological debate that questions the
foundations of the country’s social and economic system. Sadly, these primaries
also exposed an ugly side of political rivalry, bringing the most primordial
features of human biases and prejudices against “the other”, accompanied by
scenes of violence, to the surface. Donald Trump has stolen most of the
headlines through a combination of his celebrity status and grotesque
personality, however, there was much more to these primaries than his antics.
The race in the Democratic Party was as fascinating, though it certainly had
more substance to it than that among the Republican candidates. These primaries
confirmed what has been widely argued for a long time, that increasingly more
segments within American society feel alienated and disenfranchised. There is
growing frustration and consequently anger among those in the margins of society
and the middle classes, directed at the politicians in Washington for serving
the big corporations and multinationals at the expense of the rest of the
country. What we witness right now, is a reaction to long standing disparities,
prejudices and discrimination within the American society, combined with a
delayed reaction to the 2008 financial crisis. There is evidence of similar
phenomenon in other free market economies who elected leaders against the odds
from the Right and from the Left. Syriza’s success in Greece, led by Alexis
Tsipras; Jeremy Corbyn’s election as the leader of the Labour Party in the UK;
or the near victory of Norbert Heffer, of the anti-immigrant Eurosceptic Freedom
party, all represent protest politics. What we witness right now is a reaction
to long standing disparities prejudices and discrimination within the American
society, combined with a delayed reaction to the 2008 financial crisis
Rank outsiders
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, in the same manner, represent two sides of the
same coin. Both entered the campaign for very different reasons, starting the
campaign as complete outsiders. Nevertheless, their success in this year’s
primaries could be attributed to a lack of appealing solutions offered by those
who were elected to run the country. The clown-like megalomaniac behavior of
Trump, and the contemptibility of his messages, should not deflect from what the
support for him represents. Similarly it would be a gross error of judgement to
ignore the clear message sent by the millions who supported Sanders, when Mrs.
Clinton eventually receives the Democratic nomination. In a country which has
one of the highest child poverty rates in the developed world, at 32 percent,
and the wealthiest 10 percent of US households possessing 76 percent of all the
wealth in America, general malaise is inevitable. Moreover, the concentration of
wealth also reflects ethnic divisions. According to Forbes magazine, the 400
richest Americans currently, “…have as much wealth as all African-American
households, plus one-third of America’s Latino population, combined.” There is a
deep sense by those who suffered most from the financial debacle of the last
decade, and are still paying for it, that those who caused it have gone
unpunished, or worse yet, became even richer. Furthermore, young people are
burdened by a hidden tax on higher education in the form of extortionist
interest rates on student loans. In conjunction with broken communities, police
violence, especially against minorities, and large pockets of long term
unemployment, the search for those identified with these failures is only
natural.
Quality of debate
Yet, there is a profound difference between the races in the Democratic and
Republican parties. Generally the battle between Clinton and Sanders has been
conducted in good spirit with the odd outbursts of animosity. Sander’s energy
and unexpected gains, encouraged a genuine debate regarding the place of
social-democratic ideas and values in American society. It forced Clinton to
move further to the Left, in the context US politics, than she would have
preferred to at the beginning of her campaign. She was wrong footed on her
relations with Wall Street, but still came out, assuming that she can survive
her e-mail indiscretions, a credible candidate of great competence and
experience. The race within the GOP, on the other hand, left no candidate with
much integrity or trust in their ability; the winner himself casts doubt on the
credibility of the entire nation. It was a case of opting for repulsive
mudslinging and name calling over substance, which has always been Donald
Trump’s comfort zone. He won the nomination on the back of inciting violence
against those who protested against him, inflaming racial hatred and expressing
misogynistic views, which many of us hoped were dead and buried a long time ago.
He exposed his ignorance on almost every aspect of policies, domestic and
international, that a future president is expected to deal with, and still won
the nomination despite last ditch attempts by the party’s establishment to avert
it. There is little doubt that the primaries were only the precursor of what one
can expect until November when the elections take place. One can only hope that
for the sake of the United States and the world, the best woman for the job will
win the presidential elections.
Turkey faces multiple
dilemmas in Syria
Semih Idiz/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
Turkey’s inability to produce a realistic strategy toward Syria and to
coordinate its policy with its allies is coming home to roost, leaving it facing
multiple dilemmas that are unlikely to be resolved soon. Ankara’s war with the
outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its related effort to prevent Kurds
from gaining ground in northern Syria remains Turkey’s main problems.
This complicates, if not prevents, headway by the US-led coalition against the
Islamic State (IS) in the region. Washington, by its own admittance, is trying
to maintain a delicate balance between Ankara and the Democratic Union Party (PYD),
the umbrella organization of the Syrian Kurds, which Turkey says is a terrorist
group linked to the PKK.
While acknowledging that the PKK is a terrorist organization, Washington has
refused to do the same for the PYD and its military wing, the People’s
Protection Units (YPG), with which it is allied against IS.
The successes against IS by the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — at
least 60% of which are made up of YPG fighters — also contrasts sharply with the
failure of groups supported by Ankara to make any headway against the Bashar
al-Assad regime or IS. The recent failure of groups supported by Turkey to stop
IS advances on the Marea-Azaz line, while the SDF makes gains against IS in its
sectors, has underscored this again. Having prioritized the fight against IS in
Syria and Iraq, Washington is unlikely to sever ties with the YPG simply to
please Ankara.
Turkey’s support for groups in Syria with links to al-Qaeda-related Jabhat al-Nusra,
which the United States considers a terrorist group, also acts as a disincentive
for Washington in this regard. Ankara is now watching apprehensively as US
Special Forces and US fighter jets work closely with the SDF to clear the
northern sector of Raqqa from IS, in preparation for an onslaught against the
whole city in coming weeks.
Turkey has declared the 98-kilometer (60-mile) stretch along its border between
the Syrian towns of Jarablus to the east and Azaz to the west a no-go area for
the Kurds and started shelling YPG positions in February from across the border
to hammer this point home.
Turkey is concerned that if this region falls to the PYD, it will unite
Kurdish-held territories east and west of the Euphrates River and lay the
groundwork for an autonomous Kurdish region along the Turkish border. Turkey is
worried that the liberation of Raqqa by SDF forces will speed up this process.
Compounding Ankara’s dilemma is the fact that it, too, is fighting IS, which has
mounted deadly suicide attacks inside Turkey and rocket mortar attacks against
the Turkish town of Kilis near the Syrian border.
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu suggested earlier this week that Turkey could
mount joint operations with the United States and other Western allies in
northern Syria in order to dislodge IS from the region, provided the PYD is
excluded from these operations.
Serkan Demirtas from Hurriyet Daily News cited unnamed US officials who said
they had not received a detailed plan about Cavusoglu’s proposal. “Some concepts
have been put forward, but none are doable or represent a detailed plan that can
be enforced rapidly,” the official said.
The fact that US-led coalition jets taking off from Incirlik Air Base in Turkey
are supporting YPG fighters as they advance toward Raqqa also shows how little
real influence Turkey wields over developments in the region. There is not even
a hint from Ankara that it might prevent the use of Incirlik by the anti-IS
coalition if the base is used to back YPG fighters. Ankara is aware that closing
the base would remove what little influence it has over the United States. The
recent advances by IS along the Marea-Azaz line has left Turkey facing another
dilemma with regard to refugees from the region. The refugees are reportedly
moving toward regions held by the SDF, thus turning areas held by the Kurds into
a potential safe zone, which the United States will clearly want to encourage.
Ankara is hardly likely to be happy over this because it will legitimize PYD
rule in the region further in Western eyes. If IS advances along the Marea-Azaz
line cannot be prevented, this will also increase the value of the YPG for the
West as a much more viable force against IS when compared to groups supported by
Turkey. The ultimate dilemma for Turkey, however, is the fact that it has ended
up in what appears to be an ineffectual situation in Syria, even though it is
one of the countries bearing the biggest brunt from this crisis.
Mehmet Tezkan, a well-known columnist for daily Milliyet, argues that this
situation is of Turkey’s own making. “If you insist that the only correct
foreign policy position is yours. … If your actions at the start were wrong. If
you buttoned your shirt the wrong way at beginning. … Then this is what you end
up with,” Tezkan wrote in his column.
He went on to question Turkey’s opposition to YPG fighters entering Raqqa,
asking what the alternative being proposed was. “Should Raqqa belong to IS then?
No, you say, it should belong neither to IS nor to the YPG. If that is the case,
should Assad take the city? No, you say, that won’t do either. So whose should
it be? This is Ankara’s dilemma,” Tezkan argued.
Even the mood in the Islamist and staunchly pro-government media appears to be
coming around to accepting that Turkey’s current Syria policy is unsustainable.
Ibrahim Karagul, the editor-in-chief of daily Yeni Safak, suggested in his
column this week that the time has come for a change in the government’s Syria
policy. “Turkey has to do today what it should have done three years ago,”
Karagul wrote. “If we can’t intervene to prevent Syria from turning into a front
from where Turkey can be hit for decades, then we will be responsible for the
price this country will have to pay for this tomorrow.”
It is not clear if Karagul was exhorting military intervention by Turkey in
Syria, a course that most strategists argue is unlikely to produce the expected
results, or an intervention of another unspecified kind. Karagul’s remarks
nevertheless point at the confusion in the pro-government camp over Syria, as
well as Ankara’s inability to find the right course in order to overcome its
multiple dilemmas and make Turkey a key player in Syria again.
If that cannot be done, it is clear that Ankara will not be able to play a
proactive role in efforts aimed at resolving this crisis in a manner that also
addresses Turkey’s security concerns with help from its allies.
Why confederation with
Palestine is suddenly a hot issue in Amman
Osama Al Sharif/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
It’s been decades since the issue of confederation between the Kingdom of Jordan
and Palestine was a matter of public debate. The idea gained traction in the
mid-1980s and early 1990s as the rift between Jordan and the Palestine
Liberation Organization narrowed and King Hussein and Yasser Arafat appeared to
reconcile their differences. In principle, the two leaders agreed that once the
state of Palestine is born, it will choose to join Jordan in a confederation
between two sovereign states.But the Oslo process, leading to direct secret
negotiations between the PLO and Israel that resulted in the signing of a
"declaration of principles" on the White House lawn in 1993, put the idea on
hold. Jordan went on to sign its own peace deal with Israel in 1994, and the
Palestinians were caught in endless and often fruitless negotiations with Israel
under US auspices. That process took a nosedive following the second Palestinian
intifada in 2000 and the death of Arafat in 2004.
Under King Abdullah and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, the subject of
confederation rarely if ever surfaced publicly. Jordan supported the two-state
solution and underlined its historical custodianship of Muslim and Christian
holy places in Jerusalem, a subject that often marred relations between Abdullah
and Abbas.
So it was surprising that former Jordanian Prime Minister Abdelsalam al-Majali,
who negotiated the peace deal with Israel in the 1990s, announced from Nablus
May 22 that he personally believes that confederation between an independent
Palestine and Jordan is the best option for both people.
He was quoted by a Palestinian news agency as declaring before 100 Nablus
notables that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had repeatedly called on
Jordan to adopt the confederation option with the Palestinians immediately, and
that Jordan had rejected the idea. For Majali, confederation means “a joint
legislature and a joint government with equal representation whereby the upper
authority will have three main missions — security, economy and foreign affairs
— and the rest will be the jurisdiction of the joint government.” He also said,
“In a confederation, centralization will have to end and the people will have
the ultimate choice of how to govern themselves.”
Majali’s statements found mixed reactions in Amman. While there has been no
official comment from the government, political commentators rushed to warn that
the timing of such statements should raise many questions. The online newspaper
Raialyoum reported May 22 that prominent Palestinian figures are preparing to
dispatch a delegation of 350 notables to the Jordanian capital to call on
Abdullah to intervene “to protect the West Bank and reactivate the confederation
project.” It also noted that the majority of West Bank Palestinians now support
confederation between an independent Palestinian state and Jordan.
An-Najah University in the West Bank published the results of an opinion poll on
May 13 that found that 42.3% of Palestinians support the confederation project
while 39.3% oppose it. No such figures are available for the Jordanian public.
But Majali’s statements received little support from Jordanian commentators.
Former Information Minister Samih al-Ma’aytah told Al-Monitor, “Federalism or
confederalism is not an option for Jordanians in dealing with the Palestinian
question. It is a Zionist scheme aimed at burying Palestinian rights.” He added,
“All Jordanians reject this without exception. It is a way for Israel to make
Jordan pay for the cost of its occupation while denying Palestinians any right
to rule over themselves on their land.” Political columnist Fahd Al-Khitan
warned in his May 23 column for Al-Ghad, “The failure of Palestinian-Israeli
negotiations should not come at the expense of Jordan.” He argued that such a
solution entails “annexing the Palestinian people to Jordan without their land.”
He added that such a choice would be tantamount to “the Jordanian state
committing suicide.” Khitan noted that some parties, which he did not name, were
trying to take advantage of the distressed relations between Jordan and the
Palestinian Authority.
His conclusion is based on a number of reports that relations between Abdullah
and Abbas are frigid and distant. Differences between the two men include Abbas’
strategy in seeking UN Security Council recognition of Palestinian statehood to
Jordan’s historic role in Jerusalem. Notably, Abdullah’s May 25 speech marking
the 70th independence anniversary of the kingdom failed to mention the customary
support for the two-state solution. Instead the king underlined the historic
Hashemite sacrifices in Palestine, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque, adding that the
Jordanians “still fulfill their responsibilities and duties toward the holy
sites of Jerusalem.”
The Jordanian government did not comment on a May 27 report in the Middle East
Eye that read, “The United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Jordan are planning for a
post-Mahmoud Abbas era that would leave his Fatah archrival Mohammed Dahlan in
control of the Palestinian presidency, the Palestinian Liberation Organization
and the Palestinian Authority.” Author David Hearst wrote that senior Jordanian
and Palestinian sources had spoken of the plan separately.
Abbas, who met with Majali during his visit to the West Bank, did not comment on
the issue of confederation. But the London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi reported May
26 that Palestinian notables in Jordan and Hebron had begun collecting hundreds
of signatures for a petition that rejects any solution “that could serve the
Israeli enemy.”
The resurfacing of the confederation issue could be seen as a litmus test of the
public mood in Jordan and the West Bank amid tense relations between Amman and
Ramallah and in light of President Abbas' dipping popularity among Palestinians.
One critic of the confederation idea, political commentator Labib Kamhawi, told
Al-Monitor that it is also likely that “Abbas is complicit in this scheme with
Jordan and Israel to pass a settlement that would make Jordan the PA’s heir
following his dismal failure.” He added that under this scheme, “Jordan would
take over security duties from the PA and would rule over Palestinians in the
West Bank but without the land. This will effectively close the Palestinian
issue for good.”
Iran's 'marriage of
convenience' with Taliban
Barbara Slavin/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
Iranian authorities deny that Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour had just
returned from a trip to Iran when he was killed May 21 by a US drone strike not
far from the Iran-Pakistan border.
Experts say reports of an Iran-backed Taliban buffer zone in Afghanistan against
the Islamic State are overstated but that Iran has had links with Taliban
commanders for over a decade.
Author Barbara Slavin Posted May 31, 2016
But experts on Afghanistan tell Al-Monitor that Iran has played a complicated
game with the Afghan militant group for over a decade and has stepped up
contacts in recent years in part to keep an even more dangerous organization —
the group that calls itself the Islamic State — from expanding its territory to
Iran’s east.
Although IS has only 1,000-3,000 adherents in Afghanistan, according to the
Pentagon, far fewer than in Iraq or Syria, the Iranian government has a much
more alarming assessment.
“My own personal observation from exchanges with Iranians in various settings is
that their estimate of the threat of [IS] in Afghanistan is higher than that of
the United States,” said Barnett Rubin, a former senior adviser to the Barack
Obama administration on Afghanistan and Pakistan. He told Al-Monitor that the
Russians also share this view.
Iran and the United States tacitly cooperated in overthrowing the Taliban regime
in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks. Iran had staunchly opposed the Taliban in the
1990s and had almost gone to war with it after Taliban forces massacred Iranian
diplomats and local Shiite Muslims in the Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif in 1998.
US and Iranian attitudes toward Afghanistan began to diverge after President
George W. Bush announced a strategic partnership with the government of
then-Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2005. According to Rubin, the Iranians,
already worried about the heavy US military presence to their west in Iraq,
considered this declaration “a step toward our having permanent bases in
Afghanistan.”
A decade later, there are still 10,000 US troops in Afghanistan and thousands
are likely to remain, given the fragility of the current government of President
Ashraf Ghani and the continuing threat to Afghan and US forces primarily from
the Taliban.
James Cunningham, a former US ambassador to Afghanistan, told Al-Monitor in an
email that while Iran doesn’t want the United States to remain, it “doesn’t want
Afghanistan to collapse," explaining, "Iran wants to have contacts but doesn’t
want the Taliban in power. And it is afraid of [IS].”
IS first appeared in Afghanistan in 2014. It proclaimed its presence on Jan. 26,
2015, naming a former Pakistani Taliban chief, Hafiz Saeed Khan, head of what IS
called Khorasan province, the name for the region that centuries ago included
Afghanistan, Pakistan and several Central Asian countries.
According to Afghan expert Fatemeh Aman, the group has attracted mostly
non-Afghan fighters from Central Asia, including members of the Hizb ut-Tahrir
(Islamic Party of Liberation) from Uzbekistan, the Islamic Movement of
Uzbekistan, the Islamic Movement of Tajikistan, Chechens from Russia and Uighurs
from China. It also has adherents from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e
Taliban Pakistan, and other extremist Pakistani groups.
US forces have targeted IS in Afghanistan heavily this year, striking its camps
in eastern Nangarhar province. Analysts say the group missed an opportunity to
recruit more disaffected Afghan Taliban after it was revealed that the Taliban
leadership had kept the 2013 death of the group’s founder, Mullah Omar, secret
for two years. Earlier this year, Director of National Intelligence James
Clapper described IS as a “low level threat to Afghan stability.”
Given this assessment and the fact that IS is concentrated in eastern
Afghanistan, both Rubin and Cunningham said that a recent report claiming Iran
had enlisted the Taliban to build a buffer zone against IS on the Iran-Afghan
border was overstated.
Rubin said, “There is more alignment between the Taliban and Pakistan,” which
has harbored Taliban and al-Qaeda leaders for many years. “With Iran, it’s a
marriage of convenience.”
However, the situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan has become caught up in the
proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia that is churning in Iraq, Syria and
Yemen. Iran has recruited thousands of Afghan and Pakistani Shiites to fight
alongside the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and members of Lebanon’s
Hezbollah in support of the government in Syria against Saudi-backed Sunni
militants. Hundreds of members of the so-called Zaynabiyun Brigade have died in
the Syrian war.
In providing some minimal support to the Taliban, Iran is likely trying to
compete with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for the group’s affections as well as
hedging about the durability and reach of the Kabul government.
Iran is also worried about IS recruitment among its own disgruntled Sunni
minority, especially members of non-Persian ethnic groups such as the Kurds and
Baluch, who live in peripheral areas of the Islamic Republic.
Asked whether Mansour had just visited Iran before he was killed, Hamid Babaei,
the press counselor at the Iranian mission to the United Nations, relayed a
comment by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jaberi Ansari. “The concerned
authorities in Iran reject that such a person had entered Pakistan via Iran’s
border at the stated date,” Ansari said, according to Babaei.
The US State Department also declined to confirm Mansour’s travel, which was
indicated by visa stamps on a passport carrying a false name, Wali Mohammad, and
Mansour’s picture that the Pakistanis said was found near his body.
“We just don’t have any clarity on that," spokesman Mark Toner told reporters
May 24.
Rubin was more definitive. “I’m sure he was in Iran,” he told Al-Monitor. “He
had stamps on his visa and he was killed near a border post.”
Rubin added that there are several million Afghans in Iran, most of whom have
relatives back home and who travel frequently back and forth across the border.
“I expect that if the leader of the Taliban goes to Iran, [the Iranians] know
about it,” he said.
According to one account, Mansour, using the false passport, also traveled
frequently from the international airport in Karachi, Pakistan, visiting Dubai
18 times and Bahrain once over the past nine years.
US officials say they targeted Mansour because he threatened US forces and had
shown no interest in peace talks with the Afghan government. Mansour’s
successor, a hard-line jurist named Mawlawi Haibatullah Akhundzada, also looks
disinclined to pursue peace. Just days after he was elevated, the Taliban
carried out new attacks against Afghan police in southern Helmand province.
“Pick your conspiracy theory,” Cunningham said when asked about Mansour’s
demise. “How did his passport survive? Did [IS] shop him to the US? Did the
Iranians tip us off? We likely will never know. But the Taliban must be
wondering, too. “What needs to be debunked is the Pakistani line that
Afghanistan is the fault of the United States and the international community,
and that the killing [of Mansour] blocks the [Afghan-Taliban] peace process,”
Cunningham continued. “There is no peace process; Mansour made clear there was
no intent to negotiate.”
Is Iran about to cut Muqtada al-Sadr loose?
Ali Omidi/Al-Monitor/June 01/16
TEHRAN, Iran — The first chapter in the political life of Muqtada al-Sadr opened
with the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and his armed resistance against foreign
forces. In subsequent years, he gradually scaled back such activity and began to
cooperate with the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki while continuing
to insist that US troops withdraw from Iraq.
While refraining from breaking with Muqtada al-Sadr and his rebellious
followers, Iran is not fully embracing the Iraqi cleric either.
Author Ali Omidi Posted May 31, 2016
The next chapter began in August 2015, when Sadr rallied some 100,000 Iraqis in
Baghdad's Tahrir Square in a protest against what he believed to be corruption
and partisanship in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, a clear sign
of Sadr's return to the political scene. On Feb. 26, he again mobilized hundreds
of thousands of Iraqis to take to the streets of Baghdad to protest against the
incapability of the government to establish a nonpartisan and technocratic
Cabinet.
A few weeks later, on March 18, Sadr and his supporters staged a sit-in outside
the Green Zone, where government institutions, including the parliament, and
foreign embassies are located. Sadr called the Green Zone a “bastion of support
for corruption” and exhorted his supporters to continue sit-ins and strikes
until the parliament and Abadi submit to their demand for political reform.
Moreover, in a provocative speech on April 30, he tacitly encouraged his
supporters to storm the parliament, which they proceeded to do. This means Abadi
faces three main challenges: fighting the Islamic State (IS), implementing
reforms and dealing with Sadr and his followers.
In general, to determine whether a political move is justifiable, useful or
conventional, it should be assessed by criteria such as rationality, legitimacy,
expediency and relative consensus of elites. As far as political rationality is
concerned, it is obvious that to sow wind is to reap a whirlwind. By engaging in
acts of sabotage and violence, such as storming the parliament, Sadr is
provoking the other side, including the government, to take repressive actions
against him. Such actions will create a cycle of chaos and disorder in Iraq and,
as a result, everyone will suffer.
As far as legitimacy is concerned, it is again obvious that Abadi's government
and Iraqi lawmakers — both elected through a democratic and lawful process —
have a certain amount of appeal among most political groups in Iraq. Therefore,
considering the rules of democracy, Abadi's administration as well as the
parliament should be pressured through legal channels such as political parties,
parliamentary factions and lobbying, rather than demonstrations, sit-in protests
and storming the parliament.
There is no political expediency in Sadr’s actions either. He has chosen to
rebel just as IS threatens the territorial integrity of Iraq, as Kurds are urged
to secede by their leaders such as Massoud Barzani and as Saudi Arabia is
fueling ethnic and religious conflict within Iraq. It would appear that Sadr has
chosen the worst place and time for the sit-ins, strikes and blocking the normal
activities of the Abadi government. More important, in terms of consensus he
lacks the backing of main non-Sadrist parties, in addition to the fact that no
prominent or reputable religious authorities or experts have voiced support for
Sadr’s actions. Indeed, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has on various occasions
tacitly warned him against engaging in dangerous adventures.
Sadr can in many images over the years be seen seated next to key Iranian
figures, showing that the Islamic Republic of Iran has not rejected the Iraqi
cleric.
Right after the US-led invasion and Sadr's armed resistance against occupying
forces, Tehran had morally and financially supported Sadr. Now, however,
although Tehran has not condemned his actions, it hasn't supported them either.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hossein Jaber Ansari, reacted to rumors
of Sadr’s visit to Iran in mid-May 2016 after his supporters had stormed the
parliament by saying that the Iraqi cleric was not on an official visit and that
“no official meeting has taken place between him and Iranian officials.” What
this suggests is that Sadr perhaps decided to travel to Iran for personal
reasons and that Tehran, seeking not to appear to legitimize his actions, did
not arrange for official meetings between him and officials during his trip.
Ali Akbar Velayati, a foreign policy adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, was the only Iranian official to publicly react to the storming of
the Iraqi parliament, stating that the people of Iraq will “resist” against “any
threat to their security and rule of law” and will also “resist any group that
engages in illegal activities.” To be clear, Velayati was indirectly alluding to
Sadr's protests. Thus, it appears that Tehran does not seek to pursue an
either-or approach toward Sadr and Abadi. In other words, the Iranians want to
maintain ties with both Sadr and the Iraqi government.
On the one hand, Iran firmly supports Abadi’s administration. Indeed, Khamenei
clearly stated to Abadi in October 2014, “We [Iran] stand with you and will
support your administration as firmly as we supported the previous Iraqi
administration.” Thus, Iran’s broader policy is to support the legitimate
government of Iraq. At the same time, Iran knows full well that if it loses its
influence over Sadr’s movement, the consequences will be unpredictable. Indeed,
while Sadr was pursuing his political adventures in Baghdad, Quds Force
commander Qassem Soleimani was in the command room near Fallujah during the
operation to retake Fallujah, which Abadi had ordered.
Although some of Sadr's rebellious supporters shouted anti-Iranian slogans
during their storming of the parliament, some members of the Islamic Supreme
Council of Iraq claim that infiltrators and Baathists were responsible for them
and that Sadr's true supporters are not anti-Iranian. Sadr himself has
prohibited his supporters in the streets from chanting anti-Iranian slogans.
Tehran knows that chaos in a neighboring state will have negative consequences
for Iran, especially a neighbor that after years of hostility has now become its
political ally. Therefore, its general policy is to support Abadi's government
while also refraining from completely alienating rebellious groups sympathetic
to Iran, such as Sadr and his followers.
Assessing the New AKP Cabinet
Soner Cagaptay and Cem Yolbulan/The Washington Institute/June 01/16
Turkey's incoming government reflects the regionalization of political power,
outsize influence from religious schools, and the sidelining of Kurds and women,
as well as pointing to the emergence of an exclusive governing-party system.
Following the May 5 resignation of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, delegates of
the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) elected Binali Yildirim, the
former transportation minister and one of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's
closest political allies, as AKP chair and prime minister. On May 24, following
Erdogan's approval, Yildirim announced Turkey's sixty-fifth government. The new
cabinet includes twenty-seven ministers, including the prime minister and five
deputy prime ministers. Twelve ministers have been reassigned, and eight new
members have been added. The cabinet's composition reveals important, and
troubling, trends for Turkish politics and the AKP, among them the
regionalization of political power and the near exclusion of Kurds and women.
AN UNREPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
In forming its eighth consecutive government since 2002, the AKP has assembled a
leadership apparently far less representative of Turkey than the previous
lineups. Broadly speaking, the new government does not reflect Turkey's diverse
geographical regions and ethno-religious composition. In particular, it includes
no Alevis, liberal Muslims who constitute 10-20 percent of the Turkish
population. Nor does it appear to mirror the AKP's voter base, as elaborated
below, instead resembling a clique put together for its members' close
association with and similar backgrounds to the all-powerful Erdogan and his
ally Yildirim. The new government's attributes, and absences, are as follows:
East Black Sea domination. Turkey is divided into eighty-one provinces and seven
geographic regions, the latter being Marmara, Aegean, Mediterranean, Black Sea
-- subdivided into East and West Black Sea -- Central Anatolia, East Anatolia,
and Southeast Anatolia. Although not political units, these regions are often
used for purposes of comparative social, political, and economic analysis.
One of the new cabinet's most striking elements is the preponderance of
ministers from the East Black Sea region, from which President Erdogan hails.
Indeed, ten of twenty-seven, or 37 percent, of the ministers hail from this
region, which represents only about 5 percent of Turkey's population. Throughout
his rule, Erdogan, who is from Rize province, has built a network of
businessmen, bureaucrats, and politicians from this area. Notable such cabinet
members include Deputy Prime Ministers Nurettin Canikli and Numan Kurtulmus,
from Giresun and Ordu provinces, respectively. Suleyman Soylu and the
Istanbul-born energy minister, Berat Albayrak -- Erdogan's son-in-law -- come
from Trabzon families, and the family of German-born sports minister Akif
Cagatay Kilicborn is from Samsun, also in this region. To be sure, no other
region is as significantly represented in the cabinet.
At first glance, the large East Black Sea representation might be explained by
the AKP's electoral strength in this area. In the most recent elections, in
November 2015, the AKP received 65 percent of the vote there, well above its
national tally of 49.5 percent. However, Central Anatolia, where the AKP
performed almost as well, receiving 61 percent of the vote, is not nearly as
well represented in the cabinet. While Central Anatolian provinces constitute 16
percent of the Turkish population, they have only two representatives (7
percent) in the new cabinet.
This imbalance can be seen in other regions with varying levels of AKP support,
suggesting that rather than party popularity, East Black Sea regionalism, linked
to Erdogan's origins, helps explain the new cabinet. Comparable levels of
cabinet imparity apply for the Mediterranean region, in which the opposition
Republican People's Party (CHP), Nationalist Action Party (MHP), and Peoples'
Democratic Party (HDP) compete against AKP domination; the Aegean region, where
the CHP and AKP are in a virtual tie; and the Marmara region, which includes
Istanbul and where the AKP dominates. Despite having more than 55 percent of
Turkey's population, these three regions have representation equal to the East
Black Sea -- just 10 members, or 37 percent. Especially poorly represented is
the secular-leaning Aegean region, home to 13 percent of Turkey's population,
with just two ministers, a figure it has not exceeded in any AKP government
since 2002.
East Anatolia, which constitutes 8 percent of the country's population, is the
only other region represented disproportionately in the new government. Four
members, or 15 percent, come from this region, which includes Prime Minister
Yildirim's hometown of Erzincan.
Kurdish exclusion. The new cabinet has only two known ethnic Kurdish members --
the lowest figure in recent governments -- including Deputy Prime Minister
Mehmet Simsek, who hails from predominantly Kurdish Southeast Anatolia. Previous
AKP governments, such as the sixty-first cabinet, formed in 2011, had as many as
six Kurdish members, then constituting 23 percent of the government. The small
number in the new cabinet demonstrates the AKP government's policy shift
regarding the Kurdish issue, including Erdogan's tightened embrace of Turkish
nationalism to broaden his voting base (see PolicyWatch 2620, "Erdogan's
Nationalist Path to a Full Presidential System").
Religious school domination. Another telling fact about the new government
regards educational background. Ten ministers, along with Erdogan himself, were
educated in Imam-Hatip schools. Established by the Turkish state in 1951, Imam-Hatip
schools are parochial institutions that were initially designed to train
government-employed imams, but later, under conservative governments such as the
AKP, they turned into publicly funded religious-focused alternatives to the
traditional public secular schools. Historically, the Imam-Hatip schools
educated less than 5 percent of Turkey's student population, but this figure has
jumped to more than 10 percent under AKP rule. The high Imam-Hatip
representation in the Yildirim cabinet reflects the government's political
antecedents in blending religion, government, and education. A case can also be
made that Turkey's Imam-Hatip system has been too successful for its own good,
raising the cadres that have torn down the country's secular political system.
Lack of women. Turkey's twenty-seven-seat cabinet includes only one woman, a
worrisome tally for a country aspiring to be a liberal democracy. Unfortunately,
this phenomenon is not new with the AKP; none of the eight AKP cabinets since
2002 had more than two women.
Merchant marines. The new cabinet, interestingly, boasts three ministers with
degrees from Istanbul Technical University's School of Maritime Sciences,
including Prime Minister Yildirim. The other two are incoming transportation
minister Ahmet Arslan and education minister Ismet Yilmaz. Arslan and Yilmaz
worked together at the Ministry of Transportation under Yildirim before
ascending to their current positions, indicating a minor Yildirim clique in the
new cabinet, itself an Erdogan clique.
CONCLUSION
The new AKP government is regionalist -- dominated as it is by members from the
East Black Sea region -- draws heavily from Turkey's small group of religious
school graduates, nearly excludes Kurds, and continues to suffer from male
domination. These trends point to the exclusion of large segments of the Turkish
population from political power under the country's sixty-fifth and, to date,
most powerful government in the democratic system.
Having started in 2002 as a broad alliance of the political right and center,
representing various constituencies, the party is now simultaneously
consolidating power over the Turkish state through President Erdogan while
itself becoming an institution unrepresentative of Turkey's political diversity.
This reverse trend suggests the emergence of an exclusive governing-party system
in Turkey, in which an authoritarian party insists on narrow and total control
over all political resources. Washington should monitor this development, which
has implications for Turkey's political stability.
***Soner Cagaptay is the Beyer Family Fellow and director of the Turkish
Research Program at The Washington Institute. Cem Yolbulan is a Yvonne Silverman
Research Assistant at the Institute.
Losing by Winning: The
Rupture of the Israeli Center
David Makovsky and Dennis Ross/The Washington Institute/June 01/16
The new Israeli government reflects the country's increasing polarization and
leaves Netanyahu with limited room for maneuver, making it difficult for him to
preempt the growing momentum behind efforts to internationalize the Palestinian
issue.
As the June 3 Paris peace conference approaches, the recent effort to broaden
Israel's government may emerge as one of the more consequential moves of
Binyamin Netanyahu's premiership -- not for what it produced, but rather for
what may have been foreclosed. Much of the public commentary on the latest
developments has focused on his decision to replace the experienced, steady, and
trusted defense minister Moshe Yaalon with Moldovan-born arch-nationalist
Avigdor Liberman, who has not hid his disdain for Netanyahu or his desire to
become prime minister in the future. Indeed, the stakes are significant given
Liberman's controversial statements on Israeli Arabs, Egypt, and the need to
reoccupy Gaza; in the immediate sense, Netanyahu brought in his former aide
turned rival in order to widen his very narrow coalition majority from 61 to 66
seats in the 120-member Knesset.
However, no less consequential was the collapsed effort to promote a centrist
strategy by bringing together center-right Likud Party members and center-left
Labor Party members in a joint effort to address the Palestinian issue.
Netanyahu's failure to close a coalition deal with Labor leader Isaac (Bougie)
Herzog after months of quiet, painstaking talks may be something more profound
than a failed political gambit -- it could represent how deeply polarized Israel
has become.
After all, half of the twenty-four Knesset members in the Labor/Zionist Union
alliance did not even wait to see what Herzog had achieved during the talks,
rejecting the coalition idea outright. Saying no to Netanyahu appears to be more
important to them than breaking the stalemate with the Palestinians and defusing
the international delegitimization movement against Israel. By the same token,
Likud's Yariv Levin mobilized his party's hardline young guard against the deal,
saying he told Netanyahu that the gap with Labor was "too wide" to bridge.
Where was this gap most pronounced? In public comments, Herzog hinted that
Netanyahu was willing to stop settlement construction on the Palestinian side of
the security barrier -- that is, in 92 percent of the West Bank -- but
ultimately refused to put it in writing. Given the lack of trust between
Israel's rival factions, it is fair to say that whatever was not in writing was
not going to happen. One edge of the country's political spectrum does not want
to stop settlement activity anywhere, and the other edge does not believe
Netanyahu will ever declare an end to construction in what would be a
Palestinian state. Neither was willing to give the experiment a chance.
In short, Israel's center is not holding, and its more assertive edges clearly
disagree on how the Palestinian issue may affect the country's future. If
nothing else, this suggests that unity between center-right and center-left is
unlikely to happen on Netanyahu's watch, and that will surely tie his hands. His
room to maneuver on the international stage has already shrunk dramatically
since the Herzog talks collapsed two weeks ago.
Between 2009 and 2015, when Netanyahu led a broader coalition with parties on
his left and right, he had political space to maneuver and took advantage of it
at times (e.g., by issuing a moratorium on some settlement construction in
2009-2010 and releasing pre-Oslo prisoners). Now he has no such space. Without a
broadened government, he will likely be unable to demonstrate publicly that
Israel's settlement policy is being brought into line with his professed desire
for a two-state outcome. And without such an initiative, the government will be
hard pressed to prevent international efforts to address the Israeli-Palestinian
issue. France's effort to hold an multilateral meeting this week -- to which
Israel and the Palestinians are not invited for now, partly because Paris
correctly reasoned that Israel would not attend -- is just one indicator of what
may be coming.
Ironically, some in the region are ready to give the Israelis a chance to launch
an initiative and perhaps avert the type of imposed international outcome that
Jerusalem fears. Egyptian president Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's remarkable statement
before the Netanyahu-Herzog talks collapsed -- in which he made clear that Cairo
and other Arab governments would support peace moves if Israelis came together
-- was not accidental. Sisi was aware of the seemingly emerging coalition
agreement and the likelihood of an Israeli peace initiative, and it led him to
the extraordinary step of publicly appealing for unity within Israel. Would he
be willing to maintain such a supportive posture now that the Herzog deal is
off? On May 30, both Netanyahu and Liberman praised Sisi's remarks and noted the
"positive elements" in the longstanding Arab Peace Initiative, but what concrete
steps will their new coalition actually be willing take on the peace front?
It is also noteworthy that Secretary of State John Kerry did not announce his
participation in the June 3 Paris parley until after the Netanyahu-Herzog effort
collapsed. With the widespread perception that the new Israeli government is
incapable of launching a credible initiative, the Obama administration is
unlikely to block new efforts to reach an international solution. Whether
Washington will allow the issue to make it to the UN remains unclear.
Whatever the case, the pressures within the international system seem poised
intensify at precisely the same time that the new Israeli right-wing coalition
-- in which Netanyahu is the most moderate member -- is most isolated. He
understandably fears that Friday's meeting will set the predicate for a grand
peace conference in Paris in the fall and possibly a UN Security Council
resolution at year's end that imposes the parameters of a solution. There are
several good reasons why such an approach is ill-advised:
If the past is any indicator, the international effort will lack balance.
Principles that Palestinians seek will be concrete, while those addressing
Israeli concerns will be left vague -- borders and Jerusalem will be spelled out
for the Palestinians, while the details behind security and refugees will be
left for future negotiations.
If the issue comes before the Security Council, the United States will not be
able to dissuade Russia and others from backing the Palestinian demands, and
Vladimir Putin will insist on putting his own imprint on any resolution.
Such an outcome would cement the Palestinian conviction that resisting
negotiations, internationalizing the conflict, and backing delegitimization
efforts are paying off, so why switch course?
The right-wing Israeli government would probably become more defiant in response
to an imbalanced resolution and international pressure, likely spurring
additional settlement activity in the West Bank and greatly increasing the
challenge of preserving a two-state outcome.
All of this may have implications for the next U.S. administration, which could
be stuck with a policy that cannot be implemented. Calls for getting Netanyahu
and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in a room and waiting for white smoke sound
good in theory, but the gaps between them are too wide and their mutual distrust
is too deep, making any such talks a certain failure.
At present, the only other real option is to restore a sense of possibility and
preserve hope for a two-state outcome -- but that requires Israel and the
Palestinians to take substantive unilateral steps toward accepting each other's
core requirements. For Israel, this means limiting its settlement activity along
the lines of the putative agreement between Netanyahu and Herzog, making clear
that there will be no Israeli sovereignty on the Palestinian side of the
security barrier, and signaling its willingness to negotiate a different final
border if Palestinians come to the table. For the Palestinians, this means
stopping the antinormalization campaign against contacts with Israelis, ending
payments to families of people who are killed in the act of stabbing Israelis,
and ending the practice of calling such people "martyrs."
Skeptics will cast doubt on whether Netanyahu and Abbas can actually implement
such options -- indeed, Abbas is unlikely to change his strategy at first
because he favors internationalization. Therefore, the initial pressure to act
will fall on Netanyahu. To avoid internationalization, he will need to go over
the heads of politicians at home and publicly explain the stakes to the Israeli
people. He was very low key about his efforts with Herzog in order to avoid
stirring up the right against his unity gambit, but that quiet approach failed
and has narrowed his options. If he does not act now, and more visibly, the
internationalization effort that was previously avoidable will only intensify,
regardless of its wisdom.
**David Makovsky is the Ziegler Distinguished Fellow and director of the Project
on the Middle East Peace Process at The Washington Institute. In 2013-2014, he
served as a senior advisor to the special envoy for Israel-Palestinian
negotiations in the Office of the Secretary of State. Dennis Ross, the
Institute's counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow, served as White
House senior Middle East advisor in 2009-2011.
Palestinians: Sex in Gaza
City
Khaled Abu Toameh/Gatestone Institute/June 01/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8174/palestinians-sexual-harassment
A 27-year-old female journalist recounted that a Palestinian official working
for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza invited her for a job
interview. The official "tried to approach and touch her, but she walked away
and left the office... The following day... he offered her the job in return for
having sexual intercourse with him."
The victim noted that under Palestinian law, UNRWA officials enjoy immunity from
being prosecuted.
Palestinian journalist Amjad Yaghi found that the Palestinian Basic Law does not
tackle the issue of sexual harassment in Palestinian society. Meanwhile, the
Hamas connections of these criminals will keep them out of jail and in positions
of power.
Where are the women's rights organizations now? Where are the European and
American overseers of the international human rights organizations in the Gaza
Strip? Do they only awaken from their slumber when they smell fresh Israeli
meat? How many women will be sexually assaulted while these watchdogs sleep?
Sex is a taboo topic in the conservative Palestinian society. So it came as a
nasty surprise to many when the rampant sexual harassment in the
Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip was recently brought to public attention.
A damning report, entitled "Gaza: Sexual Harassment and Bribery Chase
Job-Seekers," was published in the Beirut-based, Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper
Al-Akhbar. Amjad Yaghi, the young Palestinian journalist who wrote the exposé,
showed extraordinary courage in doing so.
Hamas, needless to say, was not amused.
Yaghi wrote that"[some] public personalities in the Gaza Strip are no longer
abiding by the professional standards of their moral work after being overcome
by their sexual instincts and professional duties. They are exploiting their
status, especially their decision-making regarding employment, appointments and
providing services and funds to projects in light of the absence of working
opportunities for women."
According to Yaghi, the report was published in a Lebanese newspaper because the
Palestinian media forbids stories that might enrage the public and "harm"
Palestinian traditions and morals.
Yaghi sets out clearly the Catch-22:
"The victims do not have the freedom to talk about their experiences and that is
why most of the women who are subjected to sexual harassment remain silent. ...
They are afraid that they could be deprived of new employment or that their
reputation would be affected."
The report found at least 36 Palestinian women working in various fields who had
fallen victim to sexual harassment and exploitation. Reflecting Yaghi's
description of their dilemma, 25 of the victims refused to provide full details
about their experiences, and the remaining 11 agreed to talk openly about the
problem only on condition of anonymity.
Sexual crimes of various sorts were reported. Twenty of the women reported
experiencing sexual harassment at their workplaces, while ten others said they
were asked to provide "sexual bribes." Six of the women told Yaghi that they had
been sexually assaulted at work.
A 27-year-old female journalist told the Yaghi that a Palestinian official
working for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees
(UNRWA) invited her to his office for a job interview:
"When she came to his office, the official tried to approach and touch her, but
she walked away and left the office... The following day, the official was more
honest with her; he offered her the job in return for having sexual intercourse
with him. She was shocked and stopped talking to him."
The woman believes that the senior status of the official who sexually harassed
her will protect him from being held accountable for his behavior. She also
alluded to a larger and deeper problem in the Arab and Islamic world: "Our
society doubts the integrity of a woman who talks about honor." As a third
obstacle to prosecution, she noted that under Palestinian law, UNRWA officials
enjoy immunity from being prosecuted.
Immunity from prosecution for sexual crimes, however, apparently does not apply
to the top echelons of internationally funded organizations. For example, the
director of an international aid organization in the Gaza Strip, who purportedly
offered a 28-year-old job applicant a highly-paid position in return for sex.
Lawyers in the Gaza Strip would seem to have enough to do without sexually
harassing their employees. But a 23-year-old female legal trainee told the
investigative journalist that her boss, a 45-year-old male attorney, made sexual
advances to her and to three of her female colleagues. Another male lawyer
offered a female colleague 50 shekels ($12) if she allowed him to touch her
body.
According to the report, 13 female journalists in the Gaza Strip have also faced
sexual harassment and assault in recent years.
Yaghi found that the Palestinian Basic Law does not tackle the issue of sexual
harassment in Palestinian society. While the law does refer to corruption in the
workplace, sexual harassment is not detailed as a form of corruption.
Much has been written recently about the widespread increase in child abuse in
the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, where children are exposed to constant
brainwashing by armed groups. Last week, a new video surfaced of how the radical
Islamist groups in the Gaza Strip incite Palestinian children. The video
features children dressed as Islamic Jihad militiamen, play-acting the
detonation of a bomb near an Israeli tank. The audience, the parents of these
child actors, can be heard cheering and applauding.
In a society where children are indoctrinated to murder Jews, it comes as no
surprise that women are victims of different kinds of exploitation as well.
Yaghi keeps the identities of the male offenders out of the public eye. Yet
these are clearly senior officials working in the private and public sectors.
Just as clearly, the sexual harassment victim of the UNRWA official was right:
the Hamas connections of these criminals will no doubt keep them out of jail and
in positions of power.
Where are the women's rights organizations now? And where are the European and
American overseers of the international human rights organizations in the Gaza
Strip? Could it be that these worthy watchdogs only awaken from their slumber
when they smell fresh Israeli meat? Meanwhile, how many women will be sexually
assaulted and harassed while these watchdogs sleep?
When it comes to sexual harassment, where are the European and American
overseers of the international human rights organizations in the Gaza Strip?
Under Palestinian law, UNRWA officials enjoy immunity from being prosecuted, and
the Hamas connections of officials that engage in sexual harassment will no
doubt keep them out of jail and in positions of power. Pictured at right: Pierre
Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, meets with Federica Mogherini, the
EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs.
Khaled Abu Toameh is an award-winning journalist based in Jerusalem.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone
website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without
the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Bangladesh: All about
Israel-Hating
by Sebastian Bustle/Gatestone Institute/June 01/16
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/8175/bangladesh-israel-chowdhury
Everyone shook hands and greeted each other courteously, but Aslam Chowdhury
came under fire in Bangladesh after the photographs of the two men together were
published on Safadi's Facebook page, and then picked up by Bangladeshi media. On
May 15, police detectives arrested Chowdhury for alleged "involvement in a plot
to oust the Bangladesh government with the support of Israeli intelligence
Mossad."
Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi journalist, was sentenced in 2014 to
seven years in prison, allegedly for trying to travel to Israel, to speak on the
rise of Islamic militancy in his country, and how madrassahs (Islamic religious
schools) are being used to spawn militants.
Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It is a country where Jews
and Israeli people are being cursed in every Friday sermon, from more than
250,000 mosques.
Israel, the Mossad and Jews, seen as one, are now a political issue in
Bangladesh politics. Accusations and denials about "Israel and Mossad
connections" are going on among the rival political parties and leaders. Both
the government and largest opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
have been trying to cash in on the existing antagonistic sentiment against
Israel among the country's 90%-Muslim population.
Bangladesh has no diplomatic relations with Israel. It is a country where Jews
and Israeli people are being cursed in every Friday sermon, from more than
250,000 mosques. Imams across the country shout before the Friday prayer's
sermon audience that Jewish people are infidels.
The latest dirty game of Israel-hating began in early May. A Bangladeshi
politician, Aslam Chowdhury, who is a Joint General Secretary of the BNP,
visited the Indian capital of Delhi and the historic city of Agra, where he met
Mendi N. Safadi, reportedly a member of Israel's Likud party.[1] Everyone shook
hands and greeted each other courteously, but Aslam Chowdhury came under fire in
Bangladesh after the photographs of the two men together were published on
Safadi's Facebook page, and then picked up by Bangladeshi media.
On May 15, police detectives arrested Chowdhury for alleged "involvement in a
plot to oust the Bangladesh government with the support of Israeli intelligence
Mossad." Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikha Hasina, accused two political
parties, BNP and Jamaat-e Islami Bangladesh of being "so desperate that they are
now conspiring with Israel to oust me... They have joined hands with those who
are frequently killing children and women in Palestine."
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party heavily depends on religious Muslim supporters,
and Jamaat-e Islami Bangladesh is an Islamist political party that believes in
Islamic revolution.
This photo of Bangladeshi politician Aslam Chowdhury (center) with Israeli Mendi
Safadi (left) led to Chowdhury's arrest for alleged "involvement in a plot to
oust the Bangladesh government with the support of Israeli intelligence Mossad."
(Image source: Mendi N. Safadi)
Chowdhury's party, the BNP, expressed embarrassment. One of the party's standing
committee members said,
"This is a very serious issue that a BNP leader has held a meeting with an
Israeli leader. It goes against our national values as well as our party policy,
as Bangladesh does not have any relation with Israel. This type of meeting will
send a wrong signal to our friendly Muslim countries and it may also damage
BNP's image at home and abroad."
Chowdhury did not deny his meeting with Safadi, but claimed that the meeting was
accidental. On May 26, nine days after his arrest, police filed charges of
sedition against Aslam Chowdhury. The Inspector General of Bangladesh Police
said, "Initial investigations found evidence of conspiracy with the leaders of
Israel's Likud party to destabilize the country in an effort to damage the
government's image."
Safadi, for his part, said in an interview with BBC Bangla, "It is illogical
that some people who hatch a conspiracy against a government at a public program
then post their photographs on Facebook."
The Bangladeshi media labelled Safadi a "Mossad agent," and a senior Israeli
official. But he is neither. He is a former aide to Ayoub Kara, a Druze MP from
the Likud party who serves as a deputy cabinet minister.
Aslam Chowdhury is not the first victim of Israel-hating in Bangladesh, a Sunni
Muslim-dominated country. Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, a Bangladeshi
journalist, was sentenced in 2014 to seven years in prison, allegedly for trying
to travel to Israel, to speak on the rise of Islamic militancy in his country,
and how madrassahs (Islamic religious schools) are being used to spawn
militants.
Sebastian Bustle is based in Southeast Asia.
[1] Chowdhury was invited by the Bharatia (Indian) Citizens Security Councils, a
platform run by the youth wing of India's ruling Bharatia Janata Party (BJP), as
was Mendi N. Safadi, the head of Safadi Center of International Diplomacy and
Public Relations.
© 2016 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. No part of the Gatestone
website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied or modified, without
the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
Toronto:
Muslim group gives out book saying “women may enjoy being beaten”
By Robert Spencer /Jihad Watch/June 1, 2016
They better enjoy it, because it is the will of Allah:
“Men have authority over women because Allah has made the one superior to the
other, and because they spend their wealth to maintain them. Good women are
obedient. They guard their unseen parts because Allah has guarded them. As for
those from whom you fear disobedience, admonish them and send them to beds apart
and beat them.” (Qur’an 4:34)
Muhammad “struck me on the chest which caused me pain, and then said: Did you
think that Allah and His Apostle would deal unjustly with you?” — Aisha (Sahih
Muslim 2127)
“Toronto: some ‘women may even enjoy being beaten as a sign of love,’” by
Jonathan D. Halevi, CIJ News, May 28, 2016 (thanks to Marvin):
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau espouses a principled policy for the elimination
of violence against women. “Violence against women is a violation of the most
basic human rights. It destroys lives, tears families apart, impacts entire
communities, and has no place within our society,” Trudeau said in a official
statement issued on November, 25 2015.
“As leaders, as parents, as community members, we need to make sure we are
combating misogyny in all its forms, wherever it is found,” he added. “I urge
all Canadians to make a commitment to stopping violence against women and girls…
Together, we can create a Canada and a world where all citizens are respected,
valued equally, and safe from violence.”…
CIJnews investigation has revealed that a Muslim Dawah (propagating Islam) group
operating a booth at Toronto’s Dundas Square continues unopposed to these days
to hand out a book condoning wife beating in certain circumstances.
The book “Women in Islam & Refutation of some Common Misconceptions,” authored
by the Saudi scholar Dr. Abdul-Rahman al-Sheha and printed by the Saudi Dawah
organization Muslim World League (رابطة العالم الاسلامي), was also distributed
in 2015 by York MSA female students at the Central Square of York University.
The following are excerpts from the book: “Polygamy in the Islamic society is
limited to four wives only, the marriages being performed lawfully with a proper
marriage contract, witnesses, etc. The man must bear all financial burdens and
responsibilities to his wives and children that arise from his marriages. All
the children are legitimate, who must be raised and cared for under the
responsibility of both parents…
“Wife Discipline
Allah, the Exalted, stated in the Glorious Qur’an: “(… As to those women on
whose part you see ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (next,) refuse to share
their beds, (and last,) beat them (lightly, if it is useful). But if they return
to obedience, seek not against them means (of annoyance). Surely, Allah is Most
High, Most Great.) [4:34]
“Islam forbids beating women and warns strictly against it. The Prophet (Peace
be upon Him) never beat any of his wives or servants, as his wife Aishah (may
Allah exalt their mention) reported in an authentic tradition (Bukhari #2328).
Women are, in general, weaker than men in their physique and stamina. Women are
often unable to defend themselves against violence. Although beating of women is
generally forbidden, Islam permits the beating of wives in a restricted and
limited sense only as a final solution and acceptable valid reason when all else
fails. This is analogous to spanking children when all else fails and they must
learn a lesson in obedience for their own protection and success.
“In the verse we quoted, Allah deals with the case of a wife who behaves
immorally towards her husband’s rights. The treatment of this extremely
sensitive issue comes in gradual stages, as we have noticed from the verse.
Medicine, or treatment of any ailment, can be very bitter at times. But an ill
person will take the remedy gladly and bear the bitterness of the medicine in
order to be cured from his illness. The remedy to treat a wife blameworthy of
immoral behavior, as we have noticed, comes in three gradual stages:
“1. First stage: The stage of advice, counseling and warning against Allah’s
punishment. A husband must remind his wife of the importance of protecting his
rights in Islam. This stage is a very kind and easy one. But, if this treatment
does not work and proves to be ineffective, then the husband may resort to the
next stage.
“2. Second stage: To leave the wife’s bed. Or, if one sleeps in the same bed
with her, he will turn his back to her, not touch her, talk to her or have
intercourse with her. This stage, as noticed, combines both strictness and
kindness, although it is a very harsh practice on both. But, if this treatment
does not work, then the husband may resort to the final stage of discipline
explained below.
“3. Third and final stage: Beating without hurting, breaking a bone, leaving
black or blue marks on the body, and avoiding hitting the face or especially
sensitive places at any cost. The purpose of beating her is only to discipline
and never retaliation or with desire to hurt by any means. Islam forbids severe
beating as punishment.
“The Prophet (Peace be upon Him) said: “None of you should beat his wife like a
slave-beating and then have intercourse with her at the end of the day”. [Bukhari
#4908]
“This treatment is proved to be very effective with two types of women, as
psychologists have determined:
“The first type: Strong willed, demanding and commandeering women. These are the
type of women who like to control, master and run the affairs of their husbands
by pushing them around, commanding them and giving them orders.
“The second type: Submissive or subdued women. These women may even enjoy being
beaten at times as a sign of love and concern…
“Beating, according to the Islamic teachings, is listed as the last and final
stage of disciplining methods. Islam does not permit, allow or even condone
beating unless the first two stages are proven to be ineffective. Moreover,
beating must not be employed as a remedy, if a wife prefers to be divorced…
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/06/toronto-muslim-group-gives-out-book-saying-women-may-enjoy-being-beaten
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